For just over the last decade annually during the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting there’s been a woman’s brunch. 2026 is no different and all women are welcomed to attend.
The National Rifle Association Annual Meeting is approaching. Each year the Association has their annual members’ meeting and it’s paired with an event-packed exposition. Attendance for NRA members is free, but you can get a three-day pass for $35.00 if you’re not a member. Aside from an exhibitor hall, with over 500 vendors and companies, there’s a number of special ticketed events. The Woman’s New Energy Brunch is one of those special events and all women are welcome.
This year’s brunch will be the 12th annual. Originally when the program started in 2013 it was a breakfast. Eventually the event morphed into a brunch, which was much friendlier to the schedule and would not interfere with the National Prayer Breakfast.
“Held in conjunction with the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, this women-only gathering offers a unique opportunity to learn about NRA programs and outreach efforts, plus meet female NRA Board Members, staff, and leaders,” says the information page. “If you’re new to the NRA family or are attending the NRA show for the first time, this is the event for you!”
Bearing Arms caught up with NRA Board of Directors member Linda Walker to talk about the program. Walker, who’s been on the NRA board since 2011, said that she and Maria Heil championed the program. Shortly after joining the board, Walker was put on the Women’s Policy Committee; when she ran for her board seat, she was a proponent of getting more women involved in the Association.
As an instructor, Walker noticed that the classes she taught did a “flip-flop.” Originally the classes she was teaching in her native state of Ohio included two-thirds men and one-third women. She said that all changed and her classes were being dominated by two-thirds women and one-third men.
When Walker got on the board, it was important to her to make sure women were welcomed and represented. One of the events that the Association would have was a luncheon, but it’s highly cost prohibitive for many attendees. That’s when she and Heil pitched the idea for the women’s event to former Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and he said, “Let’s do it.” Walker and Heil being new directors at the time, LaPierre paired them up with then-director and former NRA President Sandy Froman to get the program going.
Over the years the program changed; from breakfast to brunch, from formal speaking engagement with keynotes to informal themed tables for close conversations. The gist was to not only bring in member participation but also have the female members of the Board of Directors involved with the process.
“We’ve got subject tables at each event,” Walker explained. “We’ve got tables for grassroots and politics. We’ve got hunting, we’ve got women on target, etc. The board members, they lead the tables and discussion.”
The full list of themed tables are: hunting, political and grassroots, personal protection and CCW, women’s wilderness escape, Friends of NRA, and NRA women’s programs, and Women on Target.
Cost is a big consideration, especially since the inception of the program included making it accessible for any woman to be able to attend. It’s $20.00 if attendees register in advance — which is preferred. And for those who sign up on site, it’s $25.00. Walker said that the ticket fee hardly covers half of the cost per person, but they make up the rest via the generosity from partners sponsoring the event.
Of the attendees, 75 to 80 percent are first-timers. Walker said, “We’re hitting our mission of why this event exists.” For those ladies who are coming to the annual meeting for the first time, maybe their “husband or boyfriend kind of drug them there, it shows them that, yes, there’s lots of ladies involved with the NRA.”
“Something I experienced when I actively was instructing, one of my questions on my questionnaire [students] had to fill out is, ‘Are you an NRA member?’” Walker explained. “All too often a woman put, ‘No, but my husband is.’ Well, you know, there again, we want to impress upon women it’s your constitution also — it’s not just his.”
The 2026 Women’s Energy Brunch will be held on April 19 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Tickets are $20.00 in advance (additional processing fees) and $25.00 on-site. For more information or to register, visit the event page.
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