The NRA Education and Training Division invites all NRA trainers to attend the Annual Trainers Symposium on April 17-18 at the 2026 NRA Annual Meetings in Houston, Texas. We have exciting seminars from industry leaders such as Surefire, MantisX, UTM, and more!

Seminars will be held Friday from 11am-6pm and Saturday from 12pm-6pm. Admission to both the Symposium and the Annual Meetings is FREE for all NRA Members!

Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to develop and improve as an instructor and businessperson! Learn from the best, discover tips, tricks, and techniques to enhance your skills, and connect with top-tier industry leaders. Plus, we've got amazing raffle prizes for Symposium attendees, including brand-new products from Mantis, Surefire, Scalarworks, and more!

Questions? Email [email protected]

Register for the Seminar

Speaker Bios and Topics Covered

Sandra Woodruff, A Girl & A Gun: The Power of Women - A Growth Strategy for Your NRA Instructor Business

Jason Laird, Clear Source Communications: Earned media remains one of the most powerful and underutilized tools in the firearm industry. Range owners and instructors will be shown how they can leverage media opportunities to grow their influence, build credibility, and share the truth about the firearm industry. Attendees will walk away with practical, real-world strategies to generate meaningful publicity and position themselves as trusted experts within their communities.

Geoff Davis, GunSafety4U: Gun Handling Training in 2026. How we deliver quality training efficiently; Rationale, equipment, process, and time management

Lisa Paris, InstructorsDash.com: Blurb:  Lisa Paris Is the owner of Live Fire Instruction in Northern Virginia, where she provides expert hands-on NRA Basic Pistol and Concealed Carry training for new shooters. She also founded InstructorsDash.com, the all-in-one booking platform for firearms instructors, and authored From Firearms Instructor to Business Owner.

Cara Conry, Mantis Tech: How to leverage Mantis technology to elevate your classes, on and off the range.

Mike Huges, Next Level Training: SIRT Training Tools as an NRA Instructor

Phil Alva, Surefire Institute: The SureFire Institute team brings well over a century of combined military, law enforcement, and competitive shooting experience, and has instructed armed professionals and private citizens worldwide. We are committed to providing you with cutting-edge training techniques that integrate hard-won knowledge, groundbreaking technology, and neuroscience. The SFI staff fully understands that in a life-or-death scenario, second-best is not an option.

Klint Macro, USCCA: Explore the potential of growing your clientbase using Seminars and "non-livefire" events as means to funnel new students into your clientbase. Also learn about how the USCCA official partner program can help you grow your business.

Phil Nelsen, U.S. LawShield: Lessons learned from self-defense trials, particularly how instructors can effectively communicate these lessons to students.

Tony Lambraia, Ultimate Training Munitions: UTM is the industry leader in providing Non-Lethal Training ammunition, conversions and training to Military and Law Enforcement worldwide. Tony will talk about how NRA instructors can utilize UTM as a live fire alternative for beginner through advanced students to create realistic firearms training without the need for a live fire range. Whether you are teaching firearms basics, concealed carry, or tactics for practical home defense,  UTM will enhance realism in a safe environment.”

Brian Felsen, COHC with Your Ears Rock: Enhancing NRA instructor businesses via education, motivation, and training on noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and tinnitus prevention, proper selection and use of hearing protection, OSHA compliance, and more ear-opening information to instill best practices to protect, preserve, and treat hearing health.