Wheelchair Shotgun Program for Disabled Shooters

There are many “for charity” shotgun tournaments held each year, but the “Shoot for the Future” shotgun event in Nashville, TN, is special — in this program, the folks who are being helped get to do the shooting. Wheel-chair-bound shooters participate side-by-side with able-bodied shooters. Proceeds from the event are used to help persons with disabilities, and help fund spinal-cord injury research. The event is organized each year by volunteers and by physicians from the Vanderbilt Univ. Medical Center.

On January 7, 2009, Shooting USA television will feature the “Shoot for the Future” charity tournament conducted at the Tennessee Clay Target Complex in Nashville. Shooting USA’s “Sighting In” segment includes interviews with disabled shooters and doctors from the Vanderbilt Medical Center, such as neuro-surgeon Peter Conrad. Conrad noted: “Our [disabled patients] are not only engaged in … being part of the community, but they’re participating as active competitors in the tournament, and that’s inspiring to anybody.” Conrad also predicts that developments in medical science may, in a decade, allow some of the wheelchair shooters to walk again. The YouTube video below previews the 1/7/2009 broadcast. (Editor: Do watch the video — it has an uplifting message.)

The next “Shoot for the Future” wheelchair shotgun tournament will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2009, at the Tennessee Clay Target Complex, 1100 County Hospital Road, Nashville, TN. For more information, visit the Shoot for the Future website.

If you’re interested in developing a program for disabled shooters at your club or shooting facility, contact the NRA’s Disabled Shooting Services Program, under the direction of Vanessa Warner. Call Vanessa at (703) 267-1495 or email: disabled-shooting [at] nra-hq.org.