SSAA NSW

From Diana's Desk Hunting on Public land – the campaign continues In the last NSW Shooter we wrote about the importance of all law abiding firearm owners contacting their local MP to discuss the issue of hunting on public land. Since that article, we have begun to see some encouraging signs that the campaign IS working. More on that in just a moment. But, now is not the time to stop the campaign. In fact, it's more important now to make sure your voice is heard. If you haven't checked out the SSAA NSW Action Centre I really encourage you to do so. Here you will find information you can use when you speak with your local MP as well as the contact details for all 93 members of the NSW Legislative Assembly. I know some people will question whether one letter, or even a handful of letters, can really make a difference. It can! There is an old belief in politics that if one person takes the time to write a letter or call the office that there are probably another 100 out there who feel the same but can't be bothered. So what's the good news? In recent days we have begun to see some signs the Government is feeling the pressure from the thousands of law abiding firearm owners who have taken the time to contact MPs. SSAA NSW wrote to all 93 Members of the NSW Parliament to raise our concerns with the issue of public land hunting, as well as the security of information at the Firearms Registry and have so far been contacted by MPs from both the Labor Party and Liberal National Coalition wanting to meet. There is no doubt this is a direct result of the letter writing campaign by licensed, law abiding firearm owners. But it gets even better. Last week NSW Minister for Primary Industries was quoted as saying "It is our intention to restore volunteer hunting in state forests to control feral animals as quickly as possible, and in a manner that's as similar as possible to previous procedures." The campaign is definitely working, but there's still a lot of work to do. To stay up to date check the SSAA NSW website for any new information that comes to hand. And finally … Most of the coverage of this weekend's Federal Election will focus solely on the two major parties, but for licensed firearm owners there is arguably a more important campaign taking place in the Australian Senate. • Hunting is a lawful, cultural and historic pursuit practiced by more than 750,000 Australians. The Greens are once again trying to blur the lines between legal and illegal firearms and have recently announced plans for another buy back for semiautomatic handguns. Furthermore they have recently told SSAA NSW that they will fight for a "permanent ban on recreational hunting on public lands." (David Shoebridge, Greens MLC). • Other States have recognised the success of public land hunting practices in NSW and have copied the approach. Such is the Greens disdain for licensed, law abiding firearm owners they recently refused to participate in an interview with SSAA National in relation to the election. • A recent Public Benefit Analysis of Game Council found that every $1 spent by the Government resulted in a public benefit of $2.64 for a total net public benefit of $4.2m in 2012-2013. This election is a chance to send a message to the Greens. Quick facts about public land hunting • No safety incidents in seven years on public lands. Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. I'm a shooter and I'm proud of it. Diana Melham Executive Director - SSAA (NSW) Inc. 3

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