SSAA NSW

2 Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. The NSW Shooter is published by the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc Disclaimer: Please note that the views expressed are not necessarily those of SSAA (NSW) Inc. Attention: Branch Secretaries/Publicity Officers Editorial deadline for the April 2015 issue of the NSW Shooter is Wednesday 25 March 2015. Editor: Jay Pandya Graphic Designer: Craig Rogers Post all correspondence and contributions to: Newsletter PO Box 1001 ST MARYS NSW 1790 or email nswshooter@nsw.ssaa.org.au Cover: SSAA NSW representatives meeting with NSW political parties and SSAA NSW HuntFest 2015 organisers at last years event. President's Message Who said paper was dead? Welcome to the first of our printed quarterly editions of the NSW Shooter which also doubles as a NSW Election Special. The State Election is now only days away so we asked a number of NSW political parties what their position was on firearms ownership, hunting and the shooting sports. We asked them about funding and grants for new Ranges in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle. We asked them about changes to the Ammo Bill and any new Regulations or Laws that could make your sport more difficult. We wanted to know when the NSW Firearms Registry will get a new computer system so our members can do business online. Di and I were impressed by the positive attitude shown towards our sport by the politicians we met. Shooting is now accepted as a legal and enjoyable sport. This was most evident when we met with the NSW Nationals Hon. Rick Colless MLC. He is their firearms' spokesman and is a knowledgeable licenced shooter. See page seven for the Nationals Party's views. From the Liberal Party we met with the Hon. Stuart Ayres MP, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for Sport and Recreation. At the 2013 World Benchrest Championships in Sydney he presented the winners' medals at the Awards Night and has made visits to SSAA NSW and St Marys Indoor Shooting Centre in the past. The Libs story is on page six. Unfortunately the NSW Labor Party Leader, Luke Foley, cancelled our meeting and did not want to supply the Party's policies in writing. For the NSW Shooters and Fishers Party, Mr Robert Borsak MLC is up for re-election and naturally we have included all their policies on page 10. The Outdoor Recreation Party is also running a candidate. This Party is closely associated with the Federal Democratic Liberal Party. Recently, their Senator David Leyonhjelm announced he had successfully negotiated with the Abbott Government for funding to find a replacement for the Malabar Range in Sydney. Their policies can be found on page 11. Naturally, nothing was heard from the Greens. On a personal note, State elections make me sad because I think of the loss of Hon. Roy Smith MLC, our very own previous SSAA NSW Executive Director. Roy was elected to the NSW Parliament as an MLC in the Upper House only to pass away too soon. Today I believe SSAA NSW would have a bigger and better voice to protect and grow our sport if Roy was still representing our interests. Who knows, in the future another high profile member of SSAA NSW could be elected but until then, read what the various Parties have to offer. ALSO please DON'T MISS OUT on your copy of the monthly electronic NSW Shooter. Register your email address now. It's easy, just send an email to nswshooter@nsw.ssaa.org.au and say you want to be added to the SSAA NSW email list. Thousands and thousands of SSAA NSW members are on the email list and receive regular updates and alerts. Don't miss out. Seeya at the range, Paul McNabb President - SSAA (NSW) Inc.

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