Person of the Week: Sandra Froman

April 22, 2004 — -- Sandy Froman is a crack shot, and this week she is the new president of the National Rifle Association.

The nations' 4 million gun owners, represented by the powerful NRA, believe their constitutional right to bear arms is constantly being threatened. The NRA is one of the biggest lobbying groups in the country, and Froman speaks their language.

"When you look at the criminal use of guns, it's a small fraction of the firearms that are used everyday by peaceable Americans for lawful purposes, and that's what I'm here to talk about," Froman said.

As president, Froman won't run the day-to-day operations of the NRA. But like her predecessor, Charlton Heston, she will use the NRA's pulpit to spread her message.

Froman is only the second woman to be president of the NRA in its 130-year history. She wants to reach out to other women, but it may be a tough sell. Less than a year ago, the NRA worked hard to end a ban on assault weapons, while a majority of women across the country wanted tougher gun laws.

"I have women coming up to me all the time," Froman said. "They've thought about having a gun, they're not sure. They're very curious, and I want to be in a position to respond to that curiosity to give them information."

Froman has already had a minor misstep. After a school shooting on an Indian Reservation in Minnesota last month, Froman was reported as saying consideration should be given to any method that might make a school safer -- even arming teachers. She said her comments were taken out of context.

"I certainly never advocated arming teachers as a national policy, and I don't advocate that now," said Froman. "But I also recognize that individual schools have to look at what works for them and I would respect the local school's decision about that."

Froman, 55, is a lawyer and a widow who lives in Tuscon, Ariz. Her husband was a law enforcement officer.

"He encouraged me and inspired me," she said. "He thought that there was something that I could bring to this cause."