The Official Firearms Education Division of WGOAA
The Armed Female Academy
The National Standard in Women's Firearms Education.
The Armed Female Academy is a fully online firearms education program built from the ground up for women. Designed to make responsible carry education accessible nationwide, it offers comprehensive training rooted in your lived reality — your body, your responsibilities, and your world.
Attend Live — Free →
Our Mission
Making It Commonplace for Women to Carry
The mission of the Armed Female Academy is simple and uncompromising: to make it commonplace for women to carry a life-saving equalizer—and be properly trained to use it.
Not hypothetically. Not someday. In real life.
Unlike traditional firearms training built around male assumptions, the Armed Female Academy is designed around a woman's reality—her lifestyle, her mindset, and the threats she is statistically most likely to face. Women are not small men, and their training shouldn't be treated that way.
Founded by Amara Barnes, the Academy brings together vetted female instructors, attorneys, and subject-matter experts to deliver high-level virtual firearms education to women across the country. Amara personally curates each instructor and topic to ensure the training is practical, responsible, and rooted in real-world decision-making—not range theatrics or internet absolutes.
Inside the Academy
Education built for the armed woman.
Inside the Armed Female Academy, women receive education on concealed carry methods for women, defensive handgun fundamentals, lawful self-defense for women, mindset, gear selection, and the mechanics that matter when carrying in public. The Academy is built to meet women where they are—whether they are refining existing skills or pursuing deeper mastery of their tools.
Carry Like a Woman™
The masterclass that changes everything
How to carry concealed in dresses. In professional attire. In leggings. In formal wear. Every solution designed for curves, for comfort, for your life—not his.
The Legal Framework
Freedom Defended, Parts I & II
Criminal defense attorney Rachel Moss reveals exactly what to say—and never say—if you're ever forced to defend yourself.
When Seconds Matter
Emergency Trauma Care
SWAT medic Jenn Foreman teaches you to stop bleeding, pack wounds, and keep someone alive in the critical minutes before help arrives.
The Predator's Mind
Psychology of Threat Recognition
Understand how threats select targets, how to make yourself a harder mark, and how to trust the instincts you've been taught to ignore.
Beyond the Basics
Advanced Defensive Tactics
For the woman who has mastered fundamentals and is ready to elevate. With renowned instructor Lisa 'Guns' Ludwig.
Fit to Fight
When Retreat is NOT an Option!
Led by WGOAA founder Amara Barnes and tactical expert Julia Valencia, this course covers the physical conditioning and tactical mindset every armed woman needs to respond with force and clarity.
Plus eight additional modules covering firearm fundamentals, ammunition selection, shooting accuracy, the psychology of survival, state-specific legal guidance, and more.
Attend Live — No Membership Required
Every Armed Female Academy training is designed to be accessible first.
You can sign up to attend our live virtual trainings completely free—no membership required.
When you attend live, you're joining thousands of women across the country who are choosing to take firearms education seriously and on their own terms. This is a national community of women who carry responsibly, think critically, and understand that preparedness is part of modern womanhood—not an outlier.
Together, we are re-defining what it means to be a modern armed woman in today's world.
Live attendance gives you access to high-level instruction, real-time insight, and the shared experience of learning alongside other women who understand the weight of carrying. It's where education meets perspective—and where the Armed Female Academy comes to life.
Want the Full Experience?
While live attendance is open to everyone, WGOAA members receive the complete Armed Female Academy experience, including:
- ✦Full access to the entire AFA replay library
- ✦The ability to rewatch trainings or catch sessions you missed
- ✦Ongoing virtual education and exclusive content
- ✦A private community of like-minded women nationwide
- ✦A subscription to the WGOAA Publication full of women-specific gun owner content
Live is where you start. Membership is where it all comes together.
Become a Member →Live Attendee vs. WGOAA Member
What's Included?
Live (Free)
Member
Attend live Armed Female Academy trainings
Join thousands of women nationwide in real time
Access to high-level instruction from vetted experts
Replay access after the event
Full Armed Female Academy training library
Watch on your schedule (or rewatch anytime)
Access to past Tactical Talks & seminars
Private member community
Ongoing education designed for women who carry
Identity-driven sisterhood of like-minded women
What Women Are Saying
Real reviews from Armed Female Academy attendees
"Great information that is necessary as a gun owner and a CCW. Rachel did an amazing job with great examples that made it easy to understand and remember, she should write a book!!"
— Michele G.
"Hannah was articulate, engaging and absolutely feminine with so much strength and Amara's confidence and grit made me realize I could grow to be proficient and just as lovely."
— Mindy R.
"I cannot tell you how much I enjoy these Talks and how engaging it is. I really appreciate your time and Hannah's time."
— Rebecca M.
"I really enjoyed the webinar. It was very informative and interactive. The offerings make me want to join now."
— Tiffany F.
"I love everything about these talks. Knowing there's an entire community is so confidence boosting!"
— Kimberly S.
"I loved this because it's just for women. It helps to boost my confidence and knowledge in gun ownership. My daughter and I are so grateful!!!"
— Kellie J.
Start Live. Stay for the Mastery.
You're always welcome to attend live Armed Female Academy trainings for free—no membership required. But if you want the full experience—the ability to revisit trainings, deepen your skills over time, and surround yourself with women who take responsibility seriously—membership is where it all comes together.
Live is access. Membership is ownership.
Meet the Woman Behind the Academy
Amara Barnes
Amara Barnes is the founder of the Women Gun Owners Association of America and the driving force behind The Armed Female Academy. A nationally recognized voice in women's firearms education, Amara built the AFA to change the standard—not by making training louder or flashier, but by making it relevant.
She personally vets every instructor, demands substance over spectacle, and insists that women be taught from their lived reality—not forced into someone else's framework.
Amara's perspective is shaped by real-world responsibility. She comes from a background in emergency services as a 911 dispatcher, where decision-making, restraint, and consequences are not theoretical—they're daily realities.
She is a devoted wife to her soulmate, Jeff, and a proud step-mom to two exceptional boys who keep her grounded in what preparedness is really for: protecting life, family, and future.
Outside the classroom and control room, Amara is a certifiable gym rat turned figure competitor, bringing discipline, consistency, and personal accountability into everything she builds. At her core, she believes freedom is not abstract—it's lived. And it comes with responsibility.
Amara believes it is both our obligation and our responsibility to be ambassadors for what we want to see more of in the world: capable women, thoughtful citizens, and a culture where freedom is protected through ownership, training, and example.
Under her leadership, The Armed Female Academy has become a trusted authority—positioning the armed female as composed, capable, and fully in command of her space.
Interested in Instructor Collaboration?
The Armed Female Academy works alongside a select group of high-performing subject-matter experts who are aligned with WGOAA's mission to normalize the armed female in America. If you are interested in teaching, collaborating, or contributing your expertise at a national level, learn more about working with WGOAA and The Armed Female Academy.
Learn More →The Armed Female Academy exists because preparedness should never feel inaccessible, performative, or intimidating.
This is firearms education designed to help women take ownership of their space—and live life on their own terms.
Women Gun Owners Association of America
1005 Terminal Way Ste 100 | Reno, NV 89502
The National Standard in Women's Firearms Education.