By W&G Staff

W&G Executive Editor Peggy Tartaro was awarded the National Rifle Association's (NRA) Sybil Ludington Women's Freedom Award at the group's 135th annual meetings held in Milwaukee, WI.

The award was presented at the annual Women's Luncheon and Auction. Tartaro was the runner-up for the award in 2005.

During the presentation of the award, NRA board member Susan Howard said, "Peggy's activism in defense of the Second Amendment and her pioneering efforts in editing a gun magazine for women have been a major influence on the rights of American gunowners and in creating shooting opportunities for women."

In additional to her work as W&G editor, Tartaro serves as treasurer of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and is a life member of the NRA as well as a member of the Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPE), New York State's first grassroots gunowner group.

She has conducted scores of radio and TV interviews and participated in numerous public speaking engagements on gun issues. Tartaro was previously a member of NRA's Women's Policy Committee, serving under chairs Tanya Metaksa and Sue Wimmershoff-Caplan.

The award is named for a heroine of the American Revolution. The Sybil Ludington Women's Freedom Award was created in 1995 to recognize women who demonstrate leadership in gun rights legislation and/or the shooting sports on a national level.

Previous winners have included Alice Bull, the first woman to serve on NRA's board of directors, Metaksa, Marion Hammer, the group's first president, Texas gun rights champion Suzanna Gratia Hupp, current NRA President Sandra Froman and board member Sue King.

Also at the luncheon, four Marion P. Hammer Woman of Distinction Awards were presented to Peggy Bodner of Montague, NJ; Kelly Connolly of Reno, NV; Judy Johnson of North Pole, AK, and Susan Tabor of Lansing, MI, for leadership roles at the state and local level.

Peggy Bodner works extensively with the 25,000-member Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs to bring firearm training to residents of that state. She conducts numerous training events such as women's clinics, NRA YouthFests, Minorities Day at the Range, and JROTC and Scout shooting activities. In the last six years, nearly 3,000 women have taken part in the women's shooting education programs she leads

Kelly Connolly and her husband, Neil, are partners in the Armed & Safe Firearms Training Company. She is an NRA instructor in five disciplines. Connolly and her husband have also opened a shooting range in Nevada where they allow law enforcement officers to train for free. She trains approximately 1,000 Right-To-Carry permit applicants a year and serves on the Board of Directors for the Nevada State Rifle and Pistol Association.

Judy Johnson is an NRA Certified Instructor and Range Safety Officer, and an Alaskan Hunter Education Instructor as well. She has worked with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in numerous training roles, including many of the department's Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshops. She also has the distinction of conducting the nation's first firearm workshop designed specifically for the spouses of U.S. Army personnel deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas abroad.

Elected to represent the 71st District in the Michigan House of Representatives in 1998, Susan Tabor served three consecutive terms. During this period, she became the first woman to serve as chairperson of the House Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Committee. In addition, she founded and served as co-chair of the Michigan Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus. Tabor's legislative accomplishments in defending and advancing the shooting sports are numerous. She spearheaded Michigan's dove legislation and fought tirelessly to pass legislation preventing Michigan municipalities from suing firearm manufacturers in the state. Tabor was profiled in W&G in the Jan./Feb. 2003 issue.

The luncheon featured two silent auctions and one live auction, proceeds from which went to the NRA Foundation which funds programs such as Refuse to be a Victim programs.

A fashion show, donated by Foxy Huntress, was also presented.

Howard was master of ceremonies for the event, filling in for Women's Policy Chairman Sue King. NRA President Sandra Froman welcomed the attendees at the opening of the event.

Nominations for both the 2007 Sybil Ludington Women's Freedom Award and the Marion P. Hammer Woman of Distinction Award are due on November 1, 2006. For nomination forms or more information about the awards, visit http://www.nrahq.org/women/ or call (800) 861-1166.