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

"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.

More on Female Firearm Instructors ...

United States' increased interest in firearms leads to growth of NRA programs.

Fairfax, Virginia - Americans' interest in firearms has seen a surge in popularity over the past five years. More people are getting involved with the shooting sports, personal safety and hunting than ever before. And to help everyone from beginners to experienced firearms enthusiasts fully enjoy their Second Amendment rights are 178 NRA programs.

Places where we've seen the most growth are in our popular courses like NRA Basic Pistol and the female-focused Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, designed to introduce citizens to firearms. You can't teach these courses without being a Certified Firearms Instructor or supervising safe shooting activities unless you're a Range Safety Officer.

More on how NRA programs are growing ...

Women on Target Rifle Clinic Turns out a Fun Maryland Crowd

Up in Maryland, Jennifer Dukes spends her days as a mom, a wife and an NRA Certified Instructor. After a little coaxing, Jenny agreed to share some of her instructing experience from a Women on Target program last weekend.

Marriotsville, Maryland - Early morning on April 13, women began filing in to the classroom at Monumental Rifle and Pistol Club. They were there to learn how to shoot. Many of the ladies arrived with little to no experience; this would be their first real exposure to the shooting sports.

More on Maryland's latest Women on Target event ...

Friends of NRA travels to Massachusetts and Vermont for a little education and a lot of fun

Fairfax, Virginia - This weekend you can catch Episode 7 of Friends of NRA on Outdoor Channel. For three seasons we've followed Matt and Jessie Duff around the country, and now the world, as they the meet the inspiring ways people show their support for the NRA. Each episode we learn a little more about the NRA family and we've only just scratched the surface.

Last episode our dynamic duo trekked the Oregon coast and squeezed in a white water rafting trip. This week it's back to the East Coast as Friends of NRA is in search of New England patriots.

More on the Friends of NRA Episode 7 preview ...

Matt and Jessie Duff finding Friends of NRA throughout the Beaver State - Oregon

Fairfax, Virginia - Friends of NRA airs Sunday nights on the Outdoor Channel. Following the adventures of Matt and Jessie Duff as they travel across the country, the show focuses on one truly unique NRA experience after another.

Last week we saw them at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyoming. This week they continue their westward trek to the shores of Oregon.

Arriving first in Coos Bay, Oregon, Matt and Jessie are welcomed by the hard working members of the Coos County Friends of NRA Committee. A High Caliber Club, the committee raised $56,000 for the shooting sports in 2012. That's a lot of hard work. Well, it turns out these friends of the NRA work as hard as they play. Especially once they get out onto the sands of Coos Bay. That's where our hosts were treated to a dune buggy tour of the Bay's beaches.

More on the Friends of NRA Episode 6 preview ...

12,000 Women learn to shoot at NRA Women on Target Instructional Shooting Clinics

Fairfax, Virginia - "Women want to learn how to shoot."

According to NRA's Women on Target program, participation in the female focused instructional shooting clinics increased by 26% in the 2012. National Women on Target Program Coordinator Diane Danielson believes she knows the reason why.

"It's all thanks to word of mouth and the nature of the program," said Danielson. "We're strictly for women, primarily the first time shooter. It's about getting out to shoot and getting over the fear of firing those first shots."

Since the program's fervent beginnings back in 2000, almost eighty-thousand women have stepped onto a Women on Target range. Though the curriculum varies per event, ladies are generally offered the opportunity to fire pistols, rifles and shotguns under the watchful eye of an NRA Certified Instructor.

More on more women then ever taking part in NRA's Women on Target programs ...

Figuring out which gun fits their needs at NRA's Women on Target

Centreville, Virginia - Ever think about attending one of NRA's Women on Target clinics?

Wonder what there is to learn?

Or maybe it's a question of what type of women go to such things? Women like Casey Saggers and Jennifer Boughton.

Now grizzled veterans of our Centreville, Virginia clinic, Saggers and Boughton came out that day for two very different reasons. Saggers, product of a Law Enforcement upbringing, was looking to buy a gun. Boughton, with thirteen years of military service under her belt, was looking for a little fun.

More on learning at the NRA Women on Target experience ...

Ladies learned firearms and more in Fincastle, Virginia

Fincastle, Virginia - It was two years ago this week that the NRA brought on Diane Danielson to take over the NRA's Women On Target Instructional Shooting program. Jumping in with both feet, she promptly headed out to Fincastle, Virginia.

More on Fincastle's Women on Target event ...

An NRA filled day of firearms education for ladies in Alaska

NRA Field Operations' Volunteer Fundraising Coordinator Allison Terusiak shared a story about a great Women On Target clinic on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula.

Elaina Spraker Fires Off the Kenai Peninsula Women On Target Program

Are you a woman who has time and time again watched your husband from the window shooting his guns outside? Do you secretly wish you could join the guys on their next big hunting trip? Or perhaps you may be the type who simply wants to have a working knowledge of these cold-metal, comes in all shapes and sizes, and in many ways intimidating tools that we call firearms?

If so, fear not, Elaina Spraker of the Kenai Peninsula Women On Target Clinic has just the thing for you.

More on NRA's Women On Target clinic in Alaska ...