A Chat With NRA Women’s Ann Smith

The National Rifle Association Publications have many areas of coverage. Ann Smith, the editor-in-chief of NRA Women, told Bearing Arms about her role and what’s going on in that arena.

While attending the 2026 National Rifle Association Annual Meeting, Smith stopped by to discuss NRA Women. This interview was made possible by Beretta Holding, the sponsor of the Voices of the Second Amendment at the NRAAM.

Ann Smith is a 25-year veteran employee of the National Rifle Association. While she’s a crack shot now, the dynamo in publishing and shooting wasn’t always a gun gal. She didn’t grow up in a so-called “anti gun” household. Her father was in the military, firearms, she said, weren’t “anything in our day to day.” Smith has jumped around filling different editorial roles and responsibilities at the Association and has spearheaded some long-lasting projects.

“I did not come from a gun-owning family,” Smith told Bearing Arms. “I didn't come from an anti gun family (either).” It wasn’t until she had a boyfriend that wanted to take her shooting that she got exposed to firearms. She said that she "obliged" to his request.

“Sadly, the first thing he put in my hand was a Colt Python, although he does like to share that he did show some mercy on me and use .38 as opposed to the .357 Magnum that it fired,” Smith reminisced. “I did not break up with him after that date, we continued to go to the range, and he's my husband now, and he likes to say that the student is now the teacher, because I can out shoot him now on a lot of things.”

Over the 25 years Smith has been at the NRA, she’s worn several different hats. In the 2000s, Smith was the executive editor for a women’s magazine the Association used to publish. She was also the first woman editor on AmericanRifleman.org. For the last five years, Smith has been the editor of NRAWomen.com.

“I've pretty much worked on every property that NRA Publications put out over the last 25 years,” Smith said.

A project that Smith launched about 10 years ago is the Ladies Pistol Project. The goal of Ladies Pistol Project is to help answer an age-old question: What guns do women like?

“So many people — husbands — women, would come up to me and ask, ‘What gun is good for women?’” Smith said. “I decided to put that answer to bed.” That’s how the project was born.

The methodology, Smith said, is to gather together a decent number of ladies — they got 18 for this year’s project — and provide them with a lot of guns. The women get a chance to fire all the guns and then they fill out surveys afterwards. Smith compiles the data and publishes the results.

While the data and findings don’t make it a foregone conclusion that they’ve found the “right gun for everybody,” Smith said it’s a good resource to turn to as women find the right gun for them.

Over the years they’ve focused heavily on concealed carry. Smith said they decided to change things up a bit in 2026. The theme this year is the “Nightstand edition.”

“They're full size guns that you keep in your nightstand for home defense, versus carrying,” Smith explained. “It was definitely a different experience. The ladies were shooting guns they were fearful to shoot at first, but realized they could shoot those too. The recoil is less. It was (a) very popular event.”

Smith said that coverage of these events rolls out on American Rifleman TV. In addition to Rifleman TV, NRA Women covers the results as well as there being an article in American Rifleman magazine.

“That's my thing. I do my extra other duties as assigned,” Smith said. “It's not necessarily part of my official day to day, but I love it so much, and I've got good support for that. We're gonna keep doing it. It's a lot of work, so we just have to, we just have to keep doing it. The ladies love it so much. I'm so happy to be a part of that.”

For women who are interested in learning about firearms and how to shoot, Smith says there are plenty of resources.

“(If) you think it might be painful or not something that you're able to do, you have to dispel yourself of that myth,” Smith said. “Because there are 1000s of NRA instructors around the country waiting to help you, and you can do this. And we need more women involved.”

As far as NRA membership goes, Smith said to join.

“Even if your husband's a member, you need to sign up for yourself, because we need every member to count,” she said. “We need every single advocate standing independently, not just riding on the coattails of your husband's membership.”

Some ideas Smith shared about getting involved include heading to a local range and looking for any “ladies nights” they might be hosting. She said that the women found at these events are a “very good comfort” and the shoots are great opportunities to build camaraderie.

“It ends up being a lot more than just a night shooting at the range,” Smith said. “It's so much fun.

“Same thing with hunting. The first time I hunted, I hunted with a group of women. At first I was hesitant, because I thought: Oh, I'm not sure how fun this is going to be spending this weekend with all these women hunting. And it was the best thing I ever did. Now the women's events are the ones I want to attend, because you get so much support. You don't have to feel self conscious about anything. Everyone started somewhere, and everyone's there to help you. So just get out there and do it, and don't be afraid.”

Before wrapping up, Smith said that women interested in the programs and/or who are looking for information should head over to NRAWomen.com. There are articles on “every topic of firearms ownership, training, competition, hunting, (and) politics.” She ended by saying that it’s also a good place to learn how to get NRA training.

If you’re interested in some of the great things that NRA has to offer for women, be sure to check them out at NRAWomen.com. The Association has plenty of programs and resources for the ladies, it’s just a matter of finding them. Ann is a wealth of knowledge, puts out quality and trustworthy content, and a heck of a great lady too!

If you’d like to tune into the full interview with Ann Smith, that can be checked out HERE, or in the embed below. 

Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.

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