Meet some of the women who are infusing the NRA with high-octane energy, fresh thinking and the power of the purse…all with a feminine touch.

The nickname “steel magnolias” first imprinted on the rest of the world by way of the 1989 movie of the same name, studded with such dazzling stars as Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts. In the South, however, it’s been the enduring, endearing term for women who embody both the essence of steely strength and of feminine grace…well, shucks, for about forever.

And if you’re looking for the embodiment of steel magnolias, today’s NRA is quite the target-rich environment, rather surprisingly for a venerable male bastion founded in 1871 by General George Wood Wingate and William Conant Church to improve Union soldiers’ marksmanship after witnessing their abysmal accuracy in the Civil War.

Perhaps no other women more truly embody the steel magnolia spirit of these remarkable women than Suzie Brewster, known as “Leader of the Pack,” and Susan LaPierre who serves as co-chair of the NRA’s Women’s Leadership Forum. In 1990 Suzie was a young bride and mother of three in her native Oklahoma, and the Brewster family was crisscrossing the state in three different small planes in support of her husband Bill ‘s campaign for Congress. A mother’s most unthinkable nightmare happened: the light aircraft ferrying her two younger children, 16-year-old Kecia and 13-year-old Kent, crashed in stormy weather, with no survivors.

Although tragedies of this magnitude often drive even the closest couples apart, Suzie determined to “become Bill’s hunting buddy,” so he could once again find solace in the woods and wild places that soothed his spirit prior to the deaths of Kecia and Kent. She discovered that she loved hunting as well and challenged herself to become the best she could possibly be, carrying her passion with her to Washington, D.C. as a Congressman’s wife.

“I was surprised at the lack of women in shooting sports when we came to Washington,” Suzie says in an interview on the website, NRAwomen.tv. “People who don’t know, vote no.”

To address this, she spearheaded the formation of the D.C. Women’s Shooting Club in 1994, and was awarded Safari Club International’s prestigious Diana Award in 2011.

Suzie knows how crucial women are to the future of the NRA.

“If you get a woman, you get her circle of friends and her family, too,” she points out.

To this end, she and Susan LaPierre, along with a handful of other dedicated women, launched the NRA’s Women’s Leadership Forum in 2007, its mission “to unite women of influence to defend our Second Amendment freedoms and help guarantee the future of the NRA through philanthropic leadership.”

Susan LaPierre, a vivacious blonde dynamo, has served on the Women’s Leadership Forum’s management team for years.

“I have been so impressed by the commitment of our members and amazed by our growth in such a short period of time,” says Susan. “Between Forum members and members of our Leadership Council, which is a higher level of support, the Women’s Leadership Forum is growing at an incredible pace.”

And although Susan already had great awareness of the NRA through her husband Wayne’s role as NRA executive vice president and chief executive officer, her involvement with the Leadership Forum has brought her an even more enriching experience.

“I grew up in Wisconsin, in a family in which shooting, hunting and fishing was common. So that’s always been a personal endeavor for me. Through the Forum, however, shooting and hunting have become group activities shared with other women. There is something special about the kinship among friends who hunt and shoot together. The Forum has become the gathering place for women to forge those bonds, and that has been very rewarding.”

The WLF has emerged as a major source of fundraising for the NRA, as well.

“Our luncheon has been the most successful fundraising event of the entire NRA convention. For our future events, we set the bar even higher to top our previous records.”

In the past, WLF luncheon speakers have included Leigh Anne and Collins Tuohy, Lynne and Liz Cheney, Ann Romney and Callista Gingrich and Sean Hannity. The luncheon has become the event of the convention, with tickets always selling out.

“It is true that many women come to enjoy hunting later in their lives, when they find more time to pursue new interests,” Susan continues. “Hunting is a great way for couples to spend quality time together, but it’s also a terrific time to be enjoyed with other women. I do think women tend to be better mentors and that new women shooters and hunters benefit from and feel more comfortable being introduced to the sport by other women.”

Says Susan LaPierre: “Our vision is not just to have a great time together. We do have a lot of fun, but our eye is on the next decade and the decade after that. It’s about leaving something important to the young women who will comprise the next generation of shooters, hunters and Second Amendment supporters. Since its founding, the spectacular growth of the Forum is proof that so much can be accomplished by talented women limited only by their imaginations.”