NRA Honors Four Women
NRA Honors Four Women for Contributions to Second Amendment
FAIRFAX, Va. – The National Rifle Association has selected four women to receive the 2008 Marion P. Hammer Woman of Distinction Award for their outstanding contributions to the Second Amendment and the shooting sports in support of the goals of the NRA.
Named for the first female president of the NRA, the Marion P. Hammer Woman of Distinction Award recognizes the achievements of women who have worked at the local, state, or regional levels to promote the shooting sports and defend the Second Amendment.
This year, the prestigious award was presented to: Linda Hill of Pueblo West, Colo.; Cathy Lynch of Renton, Wash.; Paula Radcliff of Dexter, Kan.; and Patricia Stoneking ofBonner Springs, Kan.
Linda Hill, an NRA Life Member, currently serves as treasurer on the board of directors of the Pueblo Municipal Shooting Range in Colorado. She was instrumental in starting a women’s shooting group at the range (the Pueblo Pistoleras) and also developed a youth shooting program. As an NRA Certified Instructor in multiple disciplines, Hill is involved with numerous training events, including Women On Target® Instructional Shooting Clinics, NRA Basic Pistol classes, NRA Range Safety Officer training, and personal protection seminars. Hill is also an experienced hunter education instructor, having taught courses in both Alaska and Montana while living in those states. She was named one of the top 10 hunter education instructors in the state of Alaska in 1994.
Cathy Lynch has promoted firearm safety and the shooting sports to thousands of young people and adults through her efforts as a shooting sports director at the Cascade Scout Reservation for the Boy Scouts of America. An NRA Certified Range Safety Officer and Instructor in rifle, shotgun, and muzzleloading firearms, she has served as an instructor at the Boy Scout National Camp School, certifying other shooting sports directors to work in Boy Scout camps around the country. In addition, Lynch is a certified hunter education instructor for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, providing classroom and range instruction in firearm safety, conservation, and sportsmanship.
Paula Radcliff is a member of the Kansas State Rifle Association and served as the group’s direct legislative representative when Kansas’ concealed carry law was passed in 2006. Her efforts were instrumental in Kansans winning the right to carry concealed firearms for protection. Radcliff, an NRA Life Member, also provided background facts and baseline information to legislative committees that helped create Kansas’ current Castle Doctrine law. In addition to her legislative work, Radcliff is also an original member of the Cowley County Friends of NRA and has been an active volunteer for NRA’s Women On Target® and Youth Hunter Education Challenge programs, including hosting events for both programs on her ranch property.
Patricia Stoneking is active in her home state of Kansas as an instructor and legislative advocate. An NRA Life Member and NRA Certified Instructor in multiple disciplines, Stoneking owns Target Master Shooting Academy in Bonner Springs and serves as head instructor at The Bullet Hole Shooting Range in Overland Park. She led a grassroots effort to assist in the passage of Kansas’ concealed carry law, testifying before the Kansas House of Representatives in favor of the bill and hand-delivering a petition signed by several thousand of the law’s supporters to the governor’s office. Stoneking also serves on the board of directors of the Kansas State Rifle Association and the Kansas Second Amendment Society.
The Marion P. Hammer Woman of Distinction Award has been presented since 2004. To honor women’s contributions in support of the Second Amendment at the national level, the Sybil Ludington Women’s Freedom Award, named for a heroine of the American Revolution, has been awarded since 1995. Nominations for both awards are due on November 1 each year. For more information on both awards, or to find out how to nominate a deserving woman, visit www.nrahq.org/women/awards.asp or call (800) 861-1166.
I didn’t even know this award existed. I think that’s it is great that they are recognizing the contributions of women. It sounds like each of these women has done a lot for shooting sports and to help influence legislation.
April 15th, 2008 at 2:15 pm