NRA coaches, instructors and training counselors play a truly critical role in educating law-abiding Americans on the safe and effective use of firearms.
This has been a core mission since our inception. In fact, there was no organized firearms training in this nation before NRA turned its attention to developing it. There was no manual, no syllabus, no lesson plan. In the first Boy Scout Handbook, dating from 1911, the requirements for the Marksmanship merit badge simply said, “Qualify as a marksman in accordance with the regulations of the National Rifle Association.”
Before World War II, NRA’s pre-induction training program was in place, and hundreds of thousands of young Americans learned about rifle marksmanship and the safe, proper handling of firearms before they would enter basic training and go on to serve in Europe or the Pacific. There wasn’t even hunter-safety training until NRA developed the curriculum, which was introduced in New York State in 1949.
The programs taught by NRA trainers were developed by NRA staff and volunteers to be the very best. This is an investment your NRA has made for more than a century. It is an investment we continue to make.
After all, there are an estimated 20 million new firearms owners in the United States. To make sure they are taught the safe, responsible use of firearms, it is up to us—the National Rifle Association and you as an NRA trainer—to make sure they learn the right way.
To that end, look for a new NRA communication for trainers in your email. The “Bullet-In Board” newsletter will focus on information that aids you in your classes, updates or new programs.
And, if you are on the front line training your fellow Americans, consider becoming an NRA recruiter if you have not done so already. You can learn more at recruiting.nra.org. With numbers, the strength of our NRA grows. For those who have chosen to exercise their Second Amendment rights, we can show them the proper way to do so. Through membership in the NRA, we will do our best to make sure they keep that right for generations to come.
