Should a blind person be able to own a gun?

Mr. Hopler has had gun permits for many years. He first drew attention after the local police denied him a permit in 1993. Mr. Hopler went to court and argued that he had a constitutional right to own a gun, even if he was not fit to fire it. A judge agreed but stipulated that he could not load or shoot his guns.

Afterward, Mr. Hopler said: “I didn’t think that a blind person would be able to load and fire a weapon. Of course not. That would be dangerous.”

But he returned to court and successfully had those limitations removed. He was allowed to shoot his guns if he was with somebody trained to use firearms. An acquaintance who once accompanied Mr. Hopler at a firing range said Mr. Hopler used a remote-controlled bell to locate the target, firing at the sound.