SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 3 Range approvals and some of the issues surrounding them were clarified for both parties. This communication model works well to manage misinterpretations that occasionally sneak in. Long Range Precision and the conduct of matches in NSW raised the question around appearance laws. NSW is the most restrictive state with regard to appearance, as opposed to safety, and the conduct of national matches in NSW poses several problems which were outlined. We recently submitted a legal brief on interpretation of the National Firearms Agreement around match rules for review by the Registry legal team. It is our contention that international affiliation is not mandatory to develop and conduct a match in NSW, so long as safety considerations are addressed in the usual way. Delays in registry for any non-typical application were discussed, and registry have promoted a staff member that has exceptional skill in registries processes. They have also assured SSAA NSW that more staff are being trained, increasing capability. Several people who have previously come to me for support in these delays have reported that the responses have improved, and our members are getting results. Members have asked for clarification around what constitutes ammunition, especially around inspections and carriage of firearms. An empty case is not ammunition, so cases on the bench being prepped for reloading is acceptable. A single air rifle pellet, however, can be discharged and is therefore considered ammunition. Any assembled rounds or cartridges, including slugs or air rifle pellets that are unsecured would not pass a safe storage inspection. Inspections have been ramped up, so do yourself a favour and check your storage – even get a mate to help. Sometimes new eyes find things that we are blind too. If in doubt, lock it up. We asked for notification of "person not to shoot" reports where that person is reinstated. A new system is being considered where information is shared so that Range Officers can be confident of who can and cannot shoot at a range in the future. By now, any who were interested will know that the restrictive changes to museum collections have been reversed. This was a logical outcome. SSAA NSW spoke on behalf of collectors and museums, as did many shooting organisations. A much better outcome! Some members regularly travel with firearms in their vehicle and we know that the requirements for safe transport includes the word "reasonable". This means that if you are questioned regarding transporting your firearm, the issue is one of interpretation by the Police officer on duty. The best solution is to make every effort to ensure best practice. One feature you may be interested in is installing a tracker on your vehicle in case it is stolen. We have been running an austerity program for some time now and I can report that we have managed to decrease our operational costs significantly and we will report those outcomes to the AGM. The soon to be realised result means more money for member benefits in the future. Jai and Luke have done an excellent job in managing this process, without impacting current member services. On the National front there has been a trial reviewing why members have left SSAA. This review involved email, SMS and phone contact. In many cases the members contacted re-joined with SSAA. SSAA NSW is continuing this service to support members and solve any underlying issues. National is also planning to co-host an international sustainable use conference with Queensland University. We have done this before and the book that was generated from the last conference is required reading in the appropriate university courses around wildlife management. SSAA NSW relationships, both external and internal, are very positive and some more good news is coming soon in this space. We have a program to communicate with all who influence our sport. The outcome is LAFOs are becoming more and more cohesive while influencers are aware of our safety and training, which benefits us all. Thank you, and stay safe in our sport, Lance Miller President - SSAA (NSW) Inc.

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