Choosing to Lead

A smiling man wearing a vest and green shirt, standing beside an archery target with three arrows near the bullseye.

A close-up image of a flintlock rifle’s hammer and trigger.

A man wearing a vest and green shirt, talking and gesturing.

A man wearing a vest and green shirt, talking to a little girl smiling and holding an archery bow.

A man wearing a vest and green shirt, talking to a young man smiling and holding a shotgun.

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4-H Shooting Sports volunteer impacts generations

Meet Brad, 4-H volunteer leader for the Panola County Shooting Sports club!

Q&A with Leah Barbour • Photos by Kevin Hudson

Brad Parsley knows about guns. He’s shot in local, state, national, and world matches, and now, he’s cementing his legacy by training young people to respect and use firearms responsibly. When the 80-year-old was asked to become a volunteer leader for Panola County’s 4-H Shooting Sports program and complete 8 hours of training to teach one discipline, he opted to train in all six disciplines available. Parsley partners with Ginger Cook, local agent with the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Panola County, to deliver the 4-H Shooting Sports program to local youth.

Why did you choose to become a certified volunteer in every Mississippi 4-H Shooting Sports discipline?

Before I retired, I was a certified rifle instructor for the NRA, and 10 years after that, I became the training counselor where I taught people to become instructors for the NRA. So I’ve been an instructor for a very long time, and doing these trainings is just how the world works. People shy away from guns, but I think they need to know about them. So often, they’re not taught by their parents, but my father and grandfather taught me—and they taught me safety. So now, I can teach these young people in the shooting program. 4-H is the way to go!

Why should other people consider becoming 4-H Shooting Sports volunteer leaders?

We need more instructors! I’m the only muzzleloading instructor in the district of 20 counties, and I really think that’s because people just don’t know. You need one instructor for every five kids, and you don’t have to have a kid of your own to be able to teach. We can teach them, and they can help us as long as they like. We need to get more people involved.

What makes 4-H Shooting Sports so vibrant in Panola County?

I could not have done this—or keep doing this— without my 4-H coordinator. Ginger is behind everything. She’s out there every time that she has the chance to get out there. Between her and everything that I’ve seen and done hunting and around firearms, I’ve just got this instinct: If it shoots, I like it. I just like to pass on what I’ve learned.

What is your teaching style?

Kids need instruction and they need to participate. I mean, teaching does not take place unless there’s learning involved. If you get up there and talk to some kid and tell him all this stuff and he doesn’t remember any of it, you’re just talking. But if you can get out there and find the ones who need the most help, you can focus on giving them the most help. That’s how real teaching happens.

What are your greatest accomplishments as a 4-H volunteer?

Just having this satisfaction of knowing that maybe I’ve helped them just a little bit down the road. I’ve been blessed. And all these kids I’ve trained—hundreds—now, they’re preachers, workers, and everything else. They’ve learned and been recognized and succeeded. Now, we’ve got new kids, younger kids, and the challenges just keep rolling in. I fundraise, I teach, and I’ve gotten to shoot with kids who were the best at their sport. I’ve just been really fortunate.