Capital gains for high school students in week-long NRA Youth Education Summit

My fourth best moment of last year has to be this past summer's NRA Youth Education Summit. Held annually, Y.E.S. is an all-expenses paid week-long trip to Washington D.C. for a few dozen lucky high school students.

At the summit, students begin traveling around the nation's capital as strangers and end it as good friends. I got to know a lot of the kids during the week and it was awesome hearing all of the stories about their different levels of involvement in the shooting sports, how they heard about the summit and, of course, why they decided to come.

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Learn all about the NRA's week-long educational experience for high school students in Washington D.C.

Fairfax, Virginia - The cover story for this month's NRA InSights is a great recap of the Youth Education Summit, NRA's week-long trip to Washington D.C. for high school sophomores and juniors.

At the summit, students find themselves traveling all over the Washington D.C. area with people who will eventually become good friends. Together they visit locations like The Capitol, Marine Corps Base Quantico, the National Archives and many memorials, monuments and other great places.

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Breaking down Y.E.S. participation throughout the United States

Fairfax, Virginia - In 1996 the NRA started its once-in-a-lifetime summer trip for high school students - the Youth Education Summit. Since then the program has graduated over 675 participants from all over the country. And we mean all over.

Take a look at the map above to see the breakdown of which states have produced the most Y.E.S. students. Unfortunately we've yet to see representatives from Rhode Island and the District of Columbia, but hey, there's always next year.

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Kaytlyn Leonard, the 2012 National Y.E.S. attendee from North Carolina and recipient of a $1,000 college scholarship, joined her fellow students in writing thank you letters to their NRA Field Representatives. Here is Kaytlyn's letter to Western North Carolina's Doug Merrill detailing her time in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Merrill,

Last September, I was sitting in the lounge at my school in between classes, talking with a few friends. It started off as a normal day, but quickly changed. At about 9am I arrived at my calculus class and noticed that class was cancelled. So, off to the lounge I went to spend my time until the next class started. Since I was not in a class, I turned my phone on...you never know just who may call you! Thankfully, the ringer was up and when my phone rang I promptly answered. "Hello?" I said uneasily to the number I did not recognize. All of a sudden a voice comes over the phone asking me where I was... "Well, school," I replied hesitantly. To my disbelief, I was suppose to be in Raleigh at the North Carolina NRA Youth Education Summit. Hurriedly, I rushed home, packed my clothes for the weekend and headed to YES, not knowing that the weekend would end up causing a string of events that would change my life.

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Emily Miller of the Washington Times with her Sig in Washington, D.C. - photo courtesy of Emily Miller/Washington Times

For those of you who haven't read the collection, it's the ongoing tale of the twist and turns one encounters when trying to purchase a handgun in our nation's capital. Here, in part, is the letter:

Dear David, I am writing to bring you up to date on the latest news surrounding Emily Miller's award-winning Washington Times series, "Emily Gets Her Gun."

In addition to the Harlan B. Carter-George S. Knight Freedom Award from the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund, Washington Times Senior Editor for Opinion Emily Miller was recently awarded the Clark Mollenhoff Award for Investigative Reporting from the Institute on Political Journalism.

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Washington, D.C. - Their scavenger hunt at the American History Museum completed, the students from NRA's Youth Education Summit went back out into last week's heat wave to explore the Jefferson Memorial.

A beautiful monument commemorating one of our founding fathers (and brightest minds), the venue is also there to provide a great source of shade as well as a cool breeze for the students when walking about the Tidal Basin.

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Washington, DC - After spending Wednesday in and around our nation's capital, the caravan carrying NRA's 2012 Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.) class returned to DC Thursday with even more sights to see.

The temperature was harsh and the humidity was high - a typical summer day in the former swamplands - as the students made their first stop at the Capitol Building. With Congressional Buildings on one side and Senate Buildings on the other, they made their way inside for a peek at business of law making.

After seeing where the laws were made, it was time to see where the laws were judged. Where better to do that then the Supreme Court. There on the storied steps of the nation's highest court, supporters, detractors and media representatives gathered as the 2012 session came to a close with one of the more controversial rulings in years.

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If you haven't gathered your family round the table to discuss your summer getaway location then you better get to it. The beach resorts, mountain cabins and amusement park packages are being booked at an exponential rate. One of the main concerns when making such a decision has to be, "Well what can we do once we get there?" That's a question the Sportsman Channel asked. Their answer? If you're in the DC Metro area, then the National Firearms Museum MUST be on your list.

Finding a spot on their Top Ten Sportsman Destinations, the National Firearms Museum (NFM) is roughly 18 miles west of the Washington Monument. Filled with more firearms than Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee was filled with boats, the NRA Museum has guns dating back to the 14th Century. Here's what the Sportman Channel had to say:

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Simulators like Laser Shot can start new shooters on the right foot

Students at the CPAC Conference in DC on NRA's Laser Shot range.

Washington, DC - You never know where a new shooter is going to find their inspiration. Maybe their parents hunt. Maybe their friends spend their afternoons at the range. Or maybe they attend a convention where there's an NRA Laser Shot booth on site.

Such was the case earlier this month during the CPAC Convention at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. While most approached the firing line with a touch of skepticism, many left with a sudden taste of confidence. Such was the case for Helene Lehr and Rashidah Burns. Taking time away from their studies at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the two were both excited and reluctant as their turn at double trap Laser Shot approached.

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