On September 20, 2025, the Arlington-Fairfax Chapter of the Izaak Walton League in Fairfax County, Virginia hosted its annual Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinic. Forty-five women gathered to shoot and to deepen their understanding of what it means to own, carry and operate firearms. Sprawling across 110 acres, the scenic club is home to an impressive array of activities, including an Olympic archery range and a 26-position, state-of-the-art indoor air gun range. But on this particular Saturday, the club became more than a range. It became a launchpad, demonstrating the transformative possibilities of a beloved NRA program.
A Curriculum to Support the Whole Shooter
If you’ve seen one Women On Target clinic, you’ve seen … one clinic. Though all clinics are firmly rooted in live-fire instruction, each event is tailored to suit the strengths and the interests of the community in which the clinic is held. For some clubs, that means offering silhouette rifle or including both trap and skeet. For Arlington-Fairfax, it meant shaping a program that went beyond shooting fundamentals, weaving together live-fire training with classroom seminars that situated shooting in a broader context.
Located in a leafy suburb not far from Washington, D.C., the Arlington-Fairfax chapter of IWLA has an impressive pool of talent from which to draw and they were not shy about using it. A “Buying and Caring for Your First Handgun” seminar offered new shooters a pathway to shooting independently—a critical next step for attendees of a program in which everything is provided, including ammunition and loaner firearms. Two instructors teamed up to lead students through curated sections of “Refuse To Be A Victim,” NRA’s signature crime prevention program. A retired judge taught “Firearms and the Law” and “Legal Aspects of Self-Defense,” demystifying the legal landscape in Virginia. Even lunchtime was not wasted, with a representative from the Department of Wildlife Resources speaking about the Virginia Outdoor Women program, which connects women with opportunities to hunt, fish and learn practical skills in the wild.
One-On-One Where it Counts
Hands-on, one-on-one coaching ia signature of all Women On Target events and Arlington-Fairfax did not disappoint, offering individualized instruction in pistol, traditional rifle, AR-15, shotgun and field archery. For some, it was their first experience shooting. Others, such as members of a local chapter of Armed Women of America, came to broaden or share skills, and to meet other women interested in shooting sports.
A few came to experience the impressive array of firepower. “One participant commented that she was able to try the exact pistol she was considering purchasing—including two modifications she was interested in,” said Clinic Coordinator Lois Kellett.
At the rifle station, students tried several traditional options and one historic one—a rare wall gun—while AR-15 instructors demonstrated how the platform’s versatility lends itself well to shooters of different statures. On the shotgun range, first clays broke quickly, while pistol instructors emphasized marksmanship fundamentals. Field archery offered a quieter challenge and more than one attendee was welcomed into the state-of-the-art air gun range.
Truly something for everyone.
An Engine for Growth
Arlington-Fairfax proves how one well-run clinic can spark momentum and become a kind of perpetual motion machine driving growth. Women On Target has long served as an entry point for new shooters and as a way for clubs and ranges to attract new members, but it can also serve as a catalyst for mentorship. Arlington-Fairfax illustrates the point well, with a clinic leadership team home grown within the club—and within Women On Target.
This year the clinic welcomed a new director, Sarah Smith, succeeding longtime director (and current club president) Pamela Meara. Sarah first encountered Women On Target in 2021 when she volunteered to help with administrative work. “One of the first things I noticed was we needed more female instructors,” Sarah noted. “I’m a lifelong shooter with a passion for training but I’d never married the two ideas. My father, an NRA Instructor himself, had encouraged me to do it for years—but it was Women On Target that was the final nudge I needed. I jumped into training and certified in basic pistol and by the following year’s Women On Target I was on the line.”
Lois’s path also began with Women On Target. “I was an attendee at Women On Target in 2023. I went home and said, ‘I am buying a pistol.’ A month later I had my Ruger Mark IV—the first of several pistols.” Now certified as an NRA instructor, Lois has built strong connections between the clinic and her local chapter of Armed Women of America. “I think one of the key takeaways is that Women On Target is for experienced shooters as well as introducing women to shooting. Several of the AWA members who shoot pistols on a regular basis were able to try different pistols, shoot AR-15s, traditional rifles, shotguns, and a few even tried out archery.”
A Model Worth Repeating
Women On Target has always promised to meet women where they are. The Arlington-Fairfax clinic delivered on that promise, turning non-shooters into shooters, students into instructors, and good shooters into great ones. It did so with crisp coaching, an informed, multidimensional approach to personal safety and the law, and an appreciation for the broader connections between shooting sports and the great outdoors.
This year’s event confirmed what many in the NRA community already know: Women On Target is more than a date on a calendar. It’s a movement. On September 20, 45 women left Arlington-Fairfax with bullseye targets, but also with a greater understanding of what it means to own and use firearms—for sport, for sustenance, for self-preservation, and for self-defense.
To learn more about Women On Target, visit wot.nra.org
