American gun owners join the NRA for many reasons that pertain to their individual shooting sports activities, but all join for the common goal of the protection of their Second Amendment rights. According to the NRA, in the Basic Instructor Training Course (BIT), the mission statement of the organization and its members is the “Constitution of the United States of America with a focus on the Second Amendment.”
I am fortunate enough to live in the most gun-friendly state in these United States—Texas! What makes it even more special is that I am an NRA Training Counselor and recently retired as the Hunter Education Training Specialist and Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) Coordinator after 27 years of service. I am constantly surrounded by individuals who grew up with firearms, as part of their culture and upbringing. As such, I am fortunate to meet individuals with diverse interests in firearms.
The NRA is the only organization that meets the needs of all their constituents. Other pro-gun organizations have formed, but they usually focus on a limited segment of their community, such as only self-defense or hunting. The NRA is for all firearm-related activities: hunting, self-defense, long-range shooting, competition and muzzleloading.
Hunting
When it comes to hunting, just about everyone who participates must be certified in Hunter Education. Even those who are “grandfathered” before the “born-after” required date per state or region, should take the class to keep current with the rules and regulations, and as a refresher on safety and ethics. The NRA was the leader in making hunting safer through education and training. In 1949 the NRA entered a partnership with the state of New York and developed the first hunter education program. Today Hunter Education is mandatory throughout North America including Canada, Mexico and several other countries, and proof of certification is lifetime and reciprocal everywhere Hunter Education is required. In 2017, the NRA began offering a free online Hunter Education course. If you live in a state, province or country that has its own Hunter Education Program, many ethical hunters choose to take the free NRA course as continuing education in the name of safety.
Whether you are a rifle hunter for game animals on land, or a shotgun hunter for birds, the NRA has you covered. I have taught many students who are looking for the NRA Basic Rifle course before the deer season opener, and students looking for the NRA Basic Shotgun course before the dove and waterfowl season opens. Students who are looking for these courses are either new to the sport or are seasoned hunters who just want to refine their skills. Find an NRA Firearm Training course near you!
Self-Defense
The NRA has several courses those with a primary interest in self-defense, and who are looking to increase their knowledge, skills and attitude when carrying a gun for self-defense: NRA Basic Pistol NRA Concealed Carry Workshop (CCW); NRA Personal Protection In the Home (PPITH); NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home (PPOTH); and NRA Defensive Pistol.
These courses must be taken in order because the skills are built upon in the latter classes. The basic pistol course goes over the important aspect of handguns including terminology, safety, storage, properly matching ammunition, and the fundamentals of shooting. These are taught at the basic level, so all students are trained the same way and meet the same objectives at the beginning of the series. The NRA CCW course teaches the students the fundamental steps to safely draw their firearm from a concealed position, when carrying a handgun for personal defense.
After taking these two classes, the students are now ready to learn self-defense techniques by enrolling in the PPITH, PPOTH, and Defensive Pistol courses. Students learn self-defense techniques when they are at home and when they are away. These courses teach different shooting skills and how to identify and use concealment and cover. Find an NRA course near you!
Long-Range Shooting
Long-range shooting continues to grow in popularity. Avid long-range shooter understand their equipment, firearm, sights, ammunition and the limitations of these better than the average shooter. He or she is more apt to have more knowledge of how the firearm and ammunition works together to reach extreme ranges. Many long-range shooters will agree that it all starts with a good comprehensive course such as the NRA Basic Rifle Course.
Many long-range shooters reload their own ammunition to get peak performance out of their rifle. We are always told that every rifle is like a specific ammunition manufacturer, bullet weight and powder charge. This is true even between two identical rifles from the same manufacturer. Each rifle may prefer a different type of ammunition for peak performance. Reloading allows the shooter to refine or “tweak” their rounds to find the right combination.
The journey of finding the right round for your rifle begins with learning how to reload. The NRA comes to the rescue once again. The NRA Metallic Cartridge Reloading course is a great place to start. This course gives students the skills to safely begin reloading ammunition.
Competition
There are many more types of competitive shooting sports today than there were 50 years ago. This is a good thing because it brings more individuals into the shooting sports. There are competitive shooting sports in all disciplines—rifle, pistol, and shotgun. Whatever type of shooting competition there is an NRA Firearms Training course to improve your shooting.
Many competitive shooters also become NRA Instructors and Coaches. The NRA offers NRA Pistol Instructor courses; NRA Rifle Instructor courses; and NRA Shotgun Instructor courses. Competitive shooters often make great instructors since they already spend a lot of time at the gun range.
Competitive shooters who believe in reaching shooting athletes, parents, officials and fans who all work together to advance the mission of the shooting sports community often become an NRA Pistol Coach, NRA Smallbore and Air Rifle Coach, or an NRA Shotgun Coach. This teaches the individual how to set up competitive teams and competitions. It also teaches the “behind-the-scenes” duties needed to run competitions.
Muzzleloading
Muzzleloaders make up a very specialized niche in the shooting world. Muzzleloading also comes with a unique set of safety rules. It is highly recommended that anyone who wants to expand their shooting style or enter into the muzzleloading discipline take the NRA Muzzleloading Basic course. This course is a great introduction to muzzleloading rifles, revolvers, and shotguns.
Many youth organizations offer muzzleloading to their youth members, especially at summer camps. Muzzleloading is one of the most popular shooting events at summer camps that offer it. For youth leaders in organizations such as Boy Scouts, Royal Rangers, and Trail Life, the NRA offers an NRA Muzzleloading CO-OP , a condensed version muzzleloading course for youth leaders to open the muzzleloading ranges at camps.
Whatever your firearm interest is, the NRA offers firearms training courses to meet those needs. These courses not only complement the disciplines you are interested in, but these courses are also great introductions into disciplines that you may not be familiar with. In other words, you might find a new hobby and with a new hobby, you get to buy a new gun!
