Women teaching Women how to Shoot – Female Firearm Instructors

As women’s interest in firearms rapidly grows, the demand for female shooting instructors has followed suit.

NRA Instructor looks on at Women on Target event.

“Women prefer to be taught by women,” says Diane Danielson, NRA’s Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinic Coordinator. “They have an instant connection that makes events like NRA’s Women on Target so successful.”

And she would know.

Since Danielson stepped on board a few years back, NRA Women’s Instructor Training Courses have been springing up all over the United States. At the 2011 NRA Annual Meeting, for example, the first Women’s Instructor Training Course took place under the watchful eye of Diane and two of her top female instructors. The success of that event, held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and the Allegheny Country Rifle Club, has lead to an impressive increase in the number of female Certified NRA instructors.

The most recent course took place at the 2013 Annual Meeting in Houston. After this event, almost twenty very enthusiastic young ladies joined the ranks of NRA Women Instructors.

“We’re not there yet, but we’re coming on fast,” said Danielson.

Firearm manufacturers have been catering to the female market for years. Underserved at first, they are now seen as a dominate force in the industry.

Their passion and devotion to the shooting sports can be seen in the more than 2,600 Women on Target events held over the past twelve years. That translates into an overall attendance of nearly 80,000 women. So popular are the events that a number of the clinics have a year long waiting lists; well worth the wait for these excited shooters.

The NRA is always looking for ways to incorporate more female focused initiatives for their programs. Some a specifically tailored for women while others are another branch to existing programs. With people like Diane helping to lead the charge, they will continue to be a force to be reckoned with.

For more about NRA Women’s ProgramsNRA Women’s Programs, visit their webpage at women.nra.org.

NRAblog is your connection to the programs of the NRA. It is a project of the NRA’s Media Relations Division.
PUBLISHING:
NRA Executive Director: Kyle Weaver

CONTRIBUTORS:
Lars Dalseide. E-mail him at LDalseide (AT) nrahq.org.
Kyle Jillson. E-mail him at KJillson (AT) nrahq.org.
Justin McDaniel E-mail him at JMcDaniel (AT) nrahq.org.