West Bend, WI – The 2019 winner of the Linda Harris Memorial Scholarship was officially announced at the USCCA Concealed Carry Expo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, over the weekend of May 17-19. To honor the memory of pioneering female firearms instructor Linda Harris, the scholarship committee reviewed a talented group of applicants and ultimately selected Beth Grote, of Maineville, Ohio, as the winner of the inaugural scholarship.

Grote, who is a certified USCCA Instructor, NRA Instructor, NRA Training Counselor and Second Amendment Foundation Instructor, works in a locally owned gun store. She also runs her own gun safety and training business and is the founder and facilitator of the Lebanon, Ohio, chapter of A Girl & A Gun.

“All of these opportunities have created a large community of women who are my friends, trainees and training partners,” Grote said. “I’ve seen that knowledge gained and shared through relationships in a community that empowers women.”

The memorial scholarship, which officially launched in 2018, was established to encourage, recognize and assist female instructors who wish to expand their education in the field of firearms training. The USCCA awards the scholarship to women who demonstrate the knowledge, skills, determination and devotion to firearms education and training that Linda Harris exemplified during her lifetime.

According to Harris’ husband, George Harris, President and CEO of International Firearms Consultants, LLC, “Linda was passionate about bringing more women into the firearms community. Her knowledge, experience and ability with any firearm allowed her to communicate and connect with every one of her students, regardless of background. Linda's passion for training and her dream of women’s empowerment through the safe and successful use of firearms will live on through the recipients of the Linda Harris Scholarship program.”

Grote added that she is looking forward to using the scholarship to take the USCCA Defensive Shooting Fundamentals Level 1 & 2 Instructor course in Wisconsin this July. “I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to expand my training,” she stated. “I had the opportunity to spend many hours with George Harris over the Expo weekend. He told me so many stories about Linda. And as the caretaker of the Linda Harris Memorial Scholarship for this next year, I’m determined to absorb everything I learn and then multiply it so the women I teach and mentor will be inspired to train more, learn more and ‘become more’ as women who handle firearms safely and proficiently.”

The selection committee is accepting scholarship applications through Dec. 1, 2019 for the 2020 year and encourages female instructors to take the time to apply. Interested parties can find more information at:https://try.usconcealedcarry.net/linda-harris-scholarship/

About the Linda Harris Memorial Scholarship:

The Linda Harris Memorial Scholarship is an annual, merit-based award in which the winning applicant will be presented an all-expenses-paid USCCA training program of her choice along with an all-expenses-paid trip to the location of the USCCA Concealed Carry Expo. Any active female firearms instructor wishing to expand and improve her teaching abilities is eligible for the award. Applications will be accepted from April 1 through Dec. 1 of each calendar year, with an official announcement and the presentation of the scholarship made at the USCCA Concealed Carry Expo the following Spring.

About USCCA:

The U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) provides self-defense education, training, and legal protection, to responsible Americans. The USCCA is the largest and fastest-growing association whose sole focus is the responsibly armed American.