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October 9, 2025
‘Seeing People Like Me Shooting is Just Awesome’ – ADSS Returns Again at SIG Sauer Academy
The Adaptive Defensive Shooting Summit (ADSS) was back again – marking year 7 – in Epping, New Hampshire, and after a rainy Thursday, participants couldn’t have asked for better weather or company during the remainder of the 3-day education, training and competitive shooting event at the SIG Sauer Academy.
Dozens of participants – both first-timers and repeat attendees – gathered to learn from experts, sharpen skills and then compete in an Internation Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) match competition.
The excitement and momentum surrounding the event as ADSS has grown through the years is undeniable. In fact, the yearly meet-up has become so popular that the group hosted it’s first ever satellite competition in Colorado in July at the Cameo Shooting and Education Complex in Palisade, Colorado.
With ADSS becoming increasingly popular as past participants continue to spread the word to new shooters and future attendees, the September 2025 event appears to be a launch year for ADSS to truly break through and reach even new heights next year.
‘Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way’
Since 2020, more than 26.2 million law-abiding Americans purchased firearms for the first time. They did so for any number of good reasons, whether that be for hunting trips, recreational target shooting or for self-defense. That includes adaptive and disabled Americans who decided they wanted to become empowered to be self-reliant on self-protection.
One of those Americans is Kalen Reese and for him, becoming familiar and confident with firearms was a no-brainer.
“I feel like a lot of people in wheelchairs feel like they can’t defend themselves or that they can’t carry a weapon,” Reese said. He’s African American, goes by the Instagram handle @TheWheelchairShoota and is on the younger side of the age spectrum of ADSS participants this year. Reese posts often of himself performing shooting drills, including with his non-disabled friends. “To me, it doesn’t matter. Everybody’s disability affects them differently. I’m always like, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’”
“This is my first time being here and being around and shooting with other people like myself,” Reese added. “I value the training and I just like to learn as much as I can, especially with firearms.”
Being there in person was an eye-opener for Reese who was pleasantly surprised by what he saw as a first-time participant.
“As far as me being in a wheelchair, starting my journey [as a gun owner], I couldn’t find any videos or information online to help me, so I kind of just learned everything I could on my own,” Reese stated, noting why it’s important for him to inform his large social media following. “I have a lot of viewers and followers, a lot of them are disabled, they are handicapped. So I’m trying to help them recognize they can shoot too and do these competitions too.”
“I’ll definitely be back,” Reese said with a smile.
Bringing It All Together
Ed Zebedies is an ADSS “lifer.” He’s attended every single ADSS event going back to the beginning – all seven years, including when Tropical Storm Lee, swirling out over the Atlantic Ocean, brought a little rain and wind to the Northeast in 2023. But to Zebedies, the learning never stops when it comes to training and handling his concealed carry firearm. To him, the training in different situations only happens at a facility like the SIG Sauer Academy.
“Last year I had the good fortune of getting into the shoot house,” Zebedies described. “That experience brought the five previous years learning all together. Now this year, with even more training, all this is coming together even better.”
And for Zebedies, he added the fun that comes from the friendly competition among those returning to ADSS for so many years.
“Fortunately, most of the first-year participants are all in the same squad, so it’s like old friends competing at the stages,” Zebedies added.
The Freedom To Exercise
Melinda Simms is also a return participant, several years over. She’s a veteran and loved being around other friends with adaptive abilities who love shooting. For her, being at the SIG Sauer facility was a can’t-miss opportunity for several reasons.
“Every year I learn something new and I’m always very excited to come back and be with other wheelies and with other veterans and to learn new techniques,” Simms stated. “It has been so much fun and being able to just fill up my gun and go and do as this shooting that I’m not able to do normally at my local range.”
Simms gave a particularly glowing hat tip to the SIG instructors who help with the educational sessions throughout the first two days before the third day’s competitive matches.
“The instructors are phenomenal. Really, it’s an honor to have the instructors that we have.”
One aspect Simms brought up about the difficulties wheelchair bound Second Amendment enthusiasts experience is simply access. Local ranges and facilities just aren’t accessible – something Simms believes can be improved to help the gun-owning wheelchair community continue to grow.
“I’ll say for shooting on the outside, the ranges are not usually prepared for me and my chair. It makes it difficult,” Simms said. “This event here gives me that ability to go and do just like anybody else. I would encourage anyone with a disability to come and try this out and recognize you have the freedom to exercise your Second Amendment rights.”
Bringing It Back Into The Community
Steve Pento was a competitive shooter in Michigan and already had a well-developed group of friends with whom he enjoyed heading to the range and to different competitions. Then he got injured and only then started using his wheelchair. He noticed a difference and didn’t feel welcomed back in the shooting community.
“I wasn’t really welcomed back all that warmly and I thought, ‘Well, screw the shooting community – I can do this on my own,’” Pento began. But his comments shifted quickly. “I was kind of out, until ADSS. And when I came here and saw how great they incorporated all of us, I thought well I just had a bad experience. This event brought me back.”
“It’s amazing. I had never really had any other friends with disabilities because I just never really clicked with any,” Pento reflected. “Until I came here. People feel like you have to be forced to being friends with someone else because you have a disability. No, we’re similar because of it, but we become friends because of all the hobbies that we like and that’s what we’re here doing at ADSS.”
The reasons why ADSS participants make attending ADSS a priority are as varied as why they require a wheelchair, or prosthetics, or leg or arm braces or any assistance. But camaraderie seems to be a common thread tying it all together. That and, of course, the right to exercise their Second Amendment rights. NSSF data has shown the gun-owning community is the most diverse it has ever been – and that includes Americans with adaptive abilities.
ADSS demonstrates every year the Second Amendment is for everyone and it’s why NSSF proudly continues to support it and its participants.
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