To truly see the value of any NRA program, it’s best to attend in person. This seems particularly true for Women on Target (WoT), an NRA program that introduces women to the safe handling of firearms and the basic principles of marksmanship.
“It’s such an important program,” said Joy Hicks, a Colorado-based NRA instructor who runs at least two WoT clinics a year. “Many are apprehensive at the start, but we work with them at their pace, and when they’re leaving, they have such a smile and a light in their eyes—in fact, they don’t want to leave!”
WoT events vary in attendance from a mere handful of women to hundreds, but at each one, women learn in a positive and comfortable environment how guns work and how to safely handle them. Then they fire what are often their very first shots with instructors and range-safety officers close at hand, ensuring everything goes smoothly.
Women often discover not only that they can shoot well and safely, but also that they greatly enjoy it! They also meet other like-minded women starting their own journey into gun ownership. The result is women seeking training, becoming gun owners themselves and inviting other women to join them in the journey.
One of the largest WoT events has been hosted at the Oklahoma Gun Club since September 2000. One club member, Suzi Rouse, was asked for ideas to expand women’s participation. “The presence of women on a shooting range was sparse then, and my objective was to figure out a way to generate an interest while providing a welcoming and safe environment.”
Rouse teamed up with WoT as it was being rolled out and had a very successful first event. Speaking to the level of interest, that event grew from 57 participants to 500 registrations in one year.
WoT is a win for the women attending and for the instructors and ranges that host them and thus establish trust and a relationship that is likely to continue. It’s also a win for Americans overall, as increased participation in the right to keep and bear arms aids public safety and in pro-Second Amendment advocacy.
NRA Women on Target events are, without doubt, one of the best ways for women to be introduced to safe, responsible gun ownership. To find a WoT clinic near you, please visit wot.nra.org. If you are part of a group or organization that could host a WoT event, please go to wot.nra.org and click on the “Host a Clinic” option—we’ll provide the clinic materials to you at no cost.
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