Self-Defense: From a Wheelchair – The Shooter’s Log

Life has a way of dealing unexpected challenges. Whether it be due to age, disease, or a serious accident, you (or someone you love) may wind up in a wheelchair. For me, a hard fall caused serious damage to both knees that became aggravated by a combination of arthritis and neuropathy.

First, I used a walker, then a four-wheel electric scooter, followed by an electric wheelchair. The corresponding lack of muscle exercise, without a change in dietary habits, resulted in a significant overweight condition. I’m not telling you all of this for sympathy, but to let you know what I’m about to share with you comes from personal experience.

I may be a mobility-impaired sheepdog, but I’m still a sheepdog. I was a firearms instructor before the injury, and I’m still a firearms instructor. I carried a concealed handgun for personal protection for several years before the injury. I believe in it, and for as long as I can, I plan to continue to carry and remain trained and ready.

The “trained” part of that little “trained and ready” phrase is all different now. The first thing I noticed while learning to cope with the wheelchair-bound lifestyle was a deficiency in training. Most of the well-known firearms trainers include and practice some form of physical training, including martial arts, with their firearms training.

Forget that! It’s a physical challenge for me just to get in and out of the chair. Forget pushups, pullups, running, squat thrusts, and weight training. It just ain’t gonna happen, no matter how much I wish I could. Let me break down the reality of the software and hardware issues we folks in a wheelchair need to learn to deal with.

Software Issues

First up is mental attitude. If you can put aside all the negativity and keep your “want to” going, you can be an effective self-defense practitioner. You will remain dedicated and able to keep you and your family safe from the evil monsters out there.

Some of those evil monsters will look at a wheelchair-bound person as an easy target. You want to ensure they’re wrong. Remain consistent about going to the range to practice your shooting. Don’t let those skills deteriorate. Remain vigilant and armed every time you leave your house. Perhaps even in your house — especially if you spend time alone. Continue being an active member of the armed-and-ready crowd. Read the good stuff, watch the videos, and be a regular at your favorite gun range.

Practice awareness as a way of life. As a mobility-impaired individual, you are vulnerable when out and about, especially when loading or unloading your wheelchair into or out of your vehicle and when carrying packages. Keep your head on a swivel, expecting to be accosted and ready to do something about it. Practicing awareness alone is often all that’s needed to discourage attackers and send them elsewhere.

While you may not be able to exercise to stay in shape, there are some things you can do. Get plenty of rest. Be careful and know how medications may affect you. If you find yourself battling drowsiness or depression, visit with your doctor and try to get a change in medication.

Hardware Issues

Whatever put you in that chair is likely to have associated pain and muscle weakness. At least it’s that way with me. Here’s how I’ve learned to deal with the limitations life has thrown at me. First, let’s talk about the guns.

I’m very fortunate in that I own a nice collection of guns as a result of being in the business. I began carrying a .45 caliber 1911 Commander a few years ago. I supplemented the 1911 with double-stack nines, such as the SIG P229, S&W M&P, and Springfield XDm. More recently, I’ve found simple guns in 9mm more to my liking and several stand out.

I stubbornly cling to the idea of having more ammo on hand than single-stack nines such as the M&P Shield, Springfield XDs, and Glock 43 offer, but any one of those is a fine gun. My favorites in the double-stack arena are still relatively small, and include the Mossberg MC2C and Taurus G3.

More recently, I’ve been experimenting with the Springfield Hellcat Pro, SIG Sauer P365XL, Ruger Max-9, and M&P Shield Plus in .30 Super Carry. Any of these guns will work fine for wheelchair carry. My favorite of these is the Mossberg. It has night sights, a great grip, and nothing complicated. You just draw, line up the sights, and pull the trigger.

How you’re going to carry the gun is critical. If you have never purchased a real gun belt such as the thick, 1.25 or 1.5-inch wide belts offered by Crossbreed and other leather companies, stop right now and order one. I can wait. I’m serious about this. Having a belt built for carrying a gun on your waist is foundational. If you’ll promise me that you have the belt situation taken care of, we can move on to holsters.

Dozens of companies make a holster to fit your gun. If you can wear a polo or Hawaiian shirt with the shirttail out, I’ll save you a ton of aggravation about what holster to wear. Get a Bianchi Model 101, Foldaway Belt Slide Gun Holster, size 16. This holster will work with any of the 9mm double-stacks I mentioned above, plus any of the popular single-stack pistols. It will work with most red dot or laser sights. It works with revolvers, too.

I wear my gun at the three o’clock position. To keep that option viable, I lowered the righthand arm rest on my wheelchair so drawing from my holster is not restricted. The beauty of the belt slide foldaway holster is I can move it around for appendix carry or cross-draw. I can also position it behind my back.

With the carry method settled, what about shooting? There’s no Weaver stance or isosceles stance when shooting from a wheelchair. You will likely have an armrest suitable to use for support. If you don’t, perhaps you can make some adjustments to your wheelchair so that you do.

When going to the range, if you pull up to the shooting bench and use the bench for support, you’re not really duplicating what you will be experiencing in the field. I’m not saying you shouldn’t ever shoot from the bench, however, spend at least part of your range time using the available support in your wheelchair. If your chair does not have any support structure, shoot with your arms stretched in front of you in a modified isosceles position.

Personal Issues

There are three things that affect my shooting these days: pain, eyesight, and shaky hands. Perhaps you’re dealing with some of the same issues. I manage the pain through a combination of medications that limit my range time. I also shoot a lot of .22s.

The eyesight issue required a visit to an optometrist with whom I was open about my need to focus on the front sight of a handgun at a particular distance. And although I didn’t take a handgun to the appointment (which was in a VA clinic — a very “no gun” environment), I was able to demonstrate the distance and the size of the object I need to focus on.

Fortunately, my eye doctor seemed to be well-versed in firearms. She even asked how I compensated for being left-eye dominant even though I am right-handed. I showed her how I line up handgun sights and explained that I shoot long guns from my left shoulder.

Strangest thing about the eyesight… I had been wearing progressive trifocals for years. With my new prescription in hand and making careful choices at the Optometrist, I spent about $500 on a pair of glasses that gave me fits when trying to read. I bought some reading glasses online — three pairs for $17. I used the middle value on my most recent prescription. It was 3.00.

Reading was a bit blurry, so I spent another $17.00 and got three pairs of 3.75 diopter glasses. Now, I wear the 3.00 for driving, shooting, and everything except reading. I put on a pair of the 3.75s for reading. If I’d known how well this would work, I would have saved the $500 I spent on the trifocals. Maybe my relating this will help somebody.

Also related to eyesight, I’m warming up to the use of red dot and laser sights. When I was teaching shooting classes, almost every laser sight I encountered was being used incorrectly by someone who didn’t know how to properly line up fixed sights. Painfully watching an elderly shooter turn on their laser, then watch it move around all over the target and never settle properly on the bullseye convinced me that was not the type of sight you wanted to depend upon for self-defense.

Today, I’ve changed my mind. It’s all about training and practice. I have a couple of red dot sights and two guns with lasers mounted. I’m able to shoot well with these guns using the optics. What’s different? I know how to line up the existing sights and hold them steady. Having adjusted the red dots and lasers so they are superimposed over the front sight at ranges up to 15 yards makes using them easy.

Bracing myself with elbows on a table or leaning against a post or tree helps with the pain and shakiness. However, as we discussed earlier, in a defensive situation I may not have anything to brace on, so I also practice without a support. This is where the fundamentals of grip, sight alignment, breathing, trigger pull, and follow-through are so important. You’ve been taught these, right? If not, spend the money for at least an hour of instruction with a qualified handgun instructor.

Final Thoughts

I hope sharing my experiences has helped any of you who are dealing with mobility or other aging issues. It’s important to your safety to keep shooting as long as you can. Most of the men in my family were active into their late 80s. That gives me at least 10 more years to keep enjoying this wonderful sport and providing protection for my family and myself. However, it won’t happen if I don’t invest the time and energy to stay current. I have an understanding with my wife and sons. They’ll tell me when I’m no longer safe to carry a gun. At that time, I’ll accept that knowing they are each able to assume the defender role, if it becomes necessary.

Have you ever considered your self-defense options should you become disabled? Do you have to adapt your self-defense needs due to a disability? Let us know in the comments.