SSAA NSW

From Diana's Desk The message is getting out there… Have you noticed lately that when there is a report in the media of a drive by shooting or other gun related crime that the media are attributing these to criminals? After a long concerted campaign to educate the media, our politicians and the community over the past year regarding the separation of the activities of law abiding firearms owners (LAFOs) from illegal gun crime committed by criminals; finally the message is getting out there. Over the past months I've had meetings with a number of MPs and it's been very pleasing to see that all acknowledge and understand that we LAFOs abide by some of the strictest firearms laws in the country and indeed take our responsibility seriously. Many of the MPs have reiterated their support for our sport verbally during these meetings and I'm pleased to say a number of them have taken the opportunity to show that support through attendance at various events we've invited them to. Bart Bassett, Member for Londonderry recently officiated at the re-naming of the SSAA NSW Museum in honour of Roy Smith and also tried his hand at the Mobile Air Rifle Range as part of the Try Shooting Day that followed at St Marys Indoor Shooting Centre. You'll recall that Bart also launched our Junior Development Program at St Marys early last year. Jai Rowell, Member for Wollondilly officially opened the World Benchrest Championships at Silverdale Range recently and Stuart Ayres, Member for Penrith, addressed competitors and presented medals at the Presentation Dinner which was held in his electorate. Both acknowledged the contribution of the sport and events such as these championships to the local economy as well as the importance of shooting as a sport which is open to participants of all ages, abilities and skill levels. Update on hunting in State Forests… During October I met with NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson to discuss the concerns of our 50,000 members in relation to public land hunting. The meeting with Minister Hodgkinson was very open and positive, and we genuinely appreciated the Minister taking the time to answer our questions. In particular we wanted to establish what the situation was in regards to public land hunting in NSW. The Minister was very clear that the Government wants to get licensed shooters back into State Forests as quickly as possible under the same conditions as before – pending the results of a risk assessment. In fact, Ms Hodgkinson mentioned that she would be re-gazetting Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. the State Forests the next day to ensure there won't be additional delays following the release of the risk assessment. We raised concerns that the Government would introduce the same conditions required for National Parks into State Forests however Minister Hodgkinson was clear that this would not be the case and the intention was to bring hunting in State Forests back under the model previously used successfully for over 6 years. Finally we enquired about the establishment of the Game and Feral Pest Board, and were advised that a call for expressions of interest would be circulated shortly. SSAA NSW will be seeking a position on this Board to continue our role as the largest organisation in NSW promoting safe, ethical and responsible hunting. Working with the Firearms Registry… SSAA NSW was very pleased to be part of the meeting organised by the S&F Party which brought together representatives of the NSW Firearms Registry and the various shooting bodies in NSW. The meeting was a good opportunity for all attending to share information and discuss common issues of concern. Discussions were constructive and informative and SSAA NSW will be part of working groups that were established to address the issues of ranges, legislation and communication. The shooting sports can only benefit from such a proactive and collaborative approach between the peak shooting bodies and the Registry. SSAA NSW would like to thank both Robert Borsak of the S&F Party and Bluey Lyons, General Manager of the Registry for this initiative. Diana Melham Executive Director - SSAA (NSW) Inc. Membership survey… Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to complete the survey. The response has been remarkable and I'm very pleased to say that there is some very constructive and positive feedback which will be taken into consideration in our planning. Keep an eye out in the December edition of the NSW Shooter to see who the 10 lucky winners are that will have their SSAA membership paid for the next year. 3

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