DIANE DANIELSON – Sharing the Passion

DIANE DANIELSON, Women’s and Competitive Shooting Program Coordinator, National Rifle Association

Passionate Trainer, Competitor and Student of All Shooting Sports, Especially (but not exclusively) for Women

I learned to shoot in the 1960’s and the unique fact that my mother was one of the instructors struck a spark in me that has carried through my mission for over 50 years. I have shot many disciplines, learned great details about many guns and the joy and passion shows in my eyes whenever I begin speaking to anyone in or outside the firearms industry. My goal has always been to prove to everyone that teach

ing proper firearm safety, handling skills and shooting fundamentals will break the false narrative that guns harm people. After many years of shooting rifle, shotgun and pistol competitively and hunting with family and friends, I noticed that I spent a lot of time coaching other ladies and had a great circle of friends with the same interest – spreading the word and showing women how much fun we had a families when we all shot together.

I became an NRA Instructor.

With the help of some great volunteers, started a women-only class in Wisconsin. Ladies learned to shoot in the company of other ladies. It was adopted by NRA and for the last 10 years, I have been the National Coordinator of Women On Target^®Instructional Shooting Clinics. Since my passion for teaching women to shoot carries far beyond encouraging successful shooters, I became a “trainer of the trainers” and, as a Training Counselor, I now certify Instructors in multiple disciplines. Watching women build confidence in front of a classroom and help grow our sport gives me the greatest joy I could ever have imagined when I took my first NRA class in 1967. Through that passion, I met Karen Butler and her team. It didn’t take long for me to decide, as I watched her in my classroom in 2013, that I would join the SLG2 mission as a way to share my knowledge and help women overcome fears and guide everyone to know the steps toward firearm fit, choosing what’s right for you, learning safe handling and all the great adventures available in the recreational shooting and hunting world.

My favorite interaction will always be of the 90+ year old WWII belly gunner.

He stopped to look at options for a new concealed carry pistol, since his arthritic hands could no longer rack the slide of his larger semi-auto pistol. This comment is the number one made by all those purchasing handguns – everywhere! We spent the most precious time together talking about his time aboard the B29 Bomber, Fifi, while he practiced the technique I showed him for getting better leverage and successfully racking the slide of the .380 he had picked as his favorite. The picture of success and the accompanying hug are always why I love to share my passion.