The Potterfield Ladies: A Family Affair

As NRA Golden Ring of Freedom members, the Potterfields are devoted to protecting the Second Amendment. They demonstrate the vital role of family—and a good entrepreneurial spirit—in the cultivation of hunting and the shooting sports.

Shoot and Hunting From an Early Age

With her dad’s instruction, Brenda Potterfield learned how to shoot and hunt at an early age. When she met husband Larry in college, they quickly identified a sport they could participate in together. Shortly after they met, Larry was drafted in the Vietnam War, and the two married. After Larry’s last Air Force tour, he and Brenda moved with their two children to Missouri and started a small gun shop in 1977. This business soon evolved into the company today known as MidwayUSA, selling ammunition and firearm accessories by mail in what has become a massive family business success story.

A Family Business

Brenda handled the books from home during the company’s early days; she moved into the office once their kids were in school, but she says that company business still tends to get talked out at the dinner table. Their daughter Sara went from helping to package ammunition as a child to working as Vice President of Public Relations of MidwayUSA. She and her mother bond over hunting, both supporting and challenging each other, and try to plan at least one major outing each year. Some of the employees of MidwayUSA have been working at this business for over 22 years, and still call Brenda “mom.”

The Next Generation

Sara Potterfield was only 12 when she started to hunt and has passed that love of the sport onto her young daughter, Eliza. Mother and grandmother alike teach the importance of firearm safety and respect to Eliza and little brother Jay. Because of their deep commitment to the future, now three generations of strong Potterfield women participate in shooting sports. Brenda knew that the impact that strong female leaders could have on the family would be unparalleled, and that’s why she works with the Women’s Leadership Forum. All the Potterfields agree—to believe in the future of America, you have to believe in NRA.

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