Military experience and NRA Programs are "a great combination"

NRA's Education & Training Department received a call earlier today from Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) William Bither, the Director of Corps Marksmanship and NCAA Rifle Coach for the Virginia Military Institute. Colonel wanted to share a story from their communications department regarding an NRA Basic Pistol course he held last month on the North Post firing range.

Firing Range the Venue for Basic Pistol Course
By John Robertson IV

LEXINGTON, Virginia – VMI employees and cadets made good use of the North Post firing range Oct. 13 as Lt. Col. Bill Bither and Sergeants 1st Class Chris Bean and Carmelo Echevarria offered the NRA Basic Pistol Course.

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Having the right instructor can make all the difference in Scouting

Kevin Cummins is an NRA Advanced Certified Instructor out of St. Louis. He's been holding shotgun instructor courses in Missouri for a long time now. His specialty is teaching those who teach the scouts. Here's an update on a recent class:

The Greater St. Louis Area Council of the BSA hosted a Shotgun Instructor class 12-13 October, 2012 at Beaumont Scout Reservation.

Education is key to firearm safety. We need to educate the next generation in the shooting sports. It begins with safe firearm handling.

Education is the foundation for everything we do. Our parents enrolled us in school so we could receive the education necessary to become good citizens and self-reliant members of society. It is incumbent upon us to continue our education daily and make certain that today’s youth are educated to best of their ability.

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Girls Guide to Guns taking shots on the NRA Headquarters Range

Fairfax, Virginia - While writing this, I'm prepping for a meeting with a well respected firearms website ... I'll tell you who later today. Maybe tomorrow. I bring this up because it reminds me of last month's visit by Natalie Foster of Girls Guide to Guns. As she say, "If one day Vogue and Guns & Ammo Magazine fell madly in love, got married and had babies, we (Girls Guide to Guns) would be their favorite child."

We spent the better part of a day taking Natalie to and fro for a variety of meetings here at headquarters. NRA Women, NRA News (who happened to be onsite) and the NRAStore to name but a few. As one might imagine, there's a lot that can be accomplished when spending a day at the NRA.

More on Natalie from Girls Guide to Guns ...

Are you a shooting coach? An instructor? Then you can help the Boy Scouts next July in Mount Hope

The 2013 Boy Scout Jamboree is right around the corner. Taking place at the brand new High Adventure Base just outside of Mount Hope, West Virginia, it appears they are in need. In need of coaches and instructors.

"We were contacted by officials from the Boy Scouts of America," said NRA Education & Training Director Bill Poole. "They are looking for USA Archery Level 1 Instructors, NRA Certified Instructors and Certified NRA Coaches to run what they tell me is the largest youth shooting sports event ever held in West Virginia."

Here's a bit from their formal announcement:

Shooting Sports promises to be a sensational section at the Jamboree as thousands of Boy Scouts and Venturers will experience numerous shooting sports activities. 

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We Shoot 2 is a relatively new blog out there chronicling the adventures of a New York female firearms enthusiast. Now I'll admit that I was a little late getting to her game, but thanks to a few nudges from friends, I found myself scrolling through her musings earlier today.

What really caught my eye, however, was her tale about:

Becoming an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor

I’m not sure who was more surprised, the 36 men in my NRA Pistol Instructors certification class that there was a woman in the class, or me, that there was ANOTHER woman in the class! 36 men, 2 women. Giddyup!

When a gentleman from my Sportsman’s club put out an email that he would be teaching an NRA Instructors class, I jumped at the chance. My husband was less excited about spending the required time in a classroom, but I honestly think he didn’t want me to do it without him so I signed us both up. There were a few other guys from my club there, but most of the other attendees were from other clubs.

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Gabriela “Gabby” Franco was a world-class shooter before stepping on stage for Season 4 of History Channel's Top Shot. As a member of Venezuela's international pistol team, she developed a perseverance that would ultimately land her here in the United States.

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The fortunes of Gabby Franco turned in the summer of 2000. She had just competed in the Olympic Games. Traveled halfway across the world to Australia. While the whirlwind of excitement and possibilities resulted in an almost unparalleled collection of memories, she would go home without a medal.

Previous efforts on the international stage always appeared to top out at Silver. Taking what she learned during her years of training, and what she witnessed during the weeks of olympic excellence in Sydney, Gabby took the next step in her development. Everything — the year of dry firing, the time away from family, the countless hours of sacrifice — was about to pay off.

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17 Students travel to Mississippi for NRA Training seminar

Gulfport, Mississippi - No one is born a teacher. Sure, some are more suited to step in front of class and dispense knowledge then others, but sharing that knowledge in a fashion that embeds the lesson in a student’s mind requires more than natural ability. And that’s part of what they were teaching at the NRA Training Counselor Workshop in Gulfport.

“It was an intense, rewarding weekend,” said workshop student Andrea Cerwinske. “Three days from morning to night with an exceptional group of instructors.”

Led by NRA Education & Training’s John Howard and Andy Lander, the seminar also had the privilege of hearing from Master Training Counselor Tom Monahan out of Florida. (The designation of “Master Training Counselor” has been retired. Tom is one of the few who still holds the title.)

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St. Louis, Missouri - Most of the world will assemble in their living rooms this summer to watch world class athletes compete in the 2012 Olympic Games. Men and women who sacrificed time, sweat and family to be the best in their field. People like Gabby Franco.

“I was eighteen and so excited,” Gabby smiled. “It was like a dream come true.”

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Here's news from the NRA Training Department on another special offer for NRA Instructors. This time, it's a discount on a wearable video camera from Midland Radio Corporation: