For the fourth year in a row, the National Rifle Association's Law Enforcement Activities Division (LEAD) trained a record number of public and private Law Enforcement Firearm Instructors from the ranks of federal, state, and municipal police departments, as well as from the military. These instructors are now helping to train law enforcement officers across the United States and in places as distant as Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We trained 2,005 [instructors] in 2005," says Ron Kirkland, director of the Law Enforcement Activities Division. "An additional 131 officers attended free NRA-organized and industry-sponsored armorer schools. These schools give public and private law enforcement and military instructors the tools they need to ensure their officers’ safety on the job," he adds.

2005 also marked the 45th anniversary of NRA's Law Enforcement Activities Division. Since 1960, LEAD has trained over 50,000 Law Enforcement Firearm Instructors in police departments and the military, and over 12,000 NRA Certified Instructors are currently training police officers nationwide.

NRA Law Enforcement Firearm Instructor Development Schools are held throughout the United States and are designed to help instructors conduct safe, effective and realistic law enforcement firearm training for their agencies or departments. NRA Certified Instructor programs include: handgun, handgun/shotgun, tactical shotgun, patrol rifle, precision rifle, tactical shooting, and select-fire courses. LEAD also offers tuition-free armorer schools, which teach repair, diagnostics, and maintenance, and are provided in conjunction with major firearm manufacturers.

LEAD also offers many benefits to police, including: the National Police Shooting Championships, Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, discounted Firearm Instructor liability insurance, the Jeannie E. Bray memorial college scholarship fund, and a life insurance benefit program in case of death in the line of duty. NRA’s Law Enforcement Activities Division is supported by the Davidson’s Law Enforcement Endowment and the Law Enforcement Training Endowment of The NRA Foundation, as well as over 180 law enforcement groups and businesses.

For more information visit www.nrahq.org/law.