SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 3 President's Message Do you have a favourite gun shop and have you noticed how busy it is lately? Do you shoot at a range and fi nd it much busier these days? Have you noticed how the media no longer point the fi nger of blame at legal shooters every time there's an armed robbery or drive by shooting? All over NSW things have changed for Sporting Shooters because today the public recognise it as a legal, safe and fun sport. Over the last few years SSAA NSW membership has grown like crazy. Today we have over 52,000 members and growing. Try shooting days are extremely popular and our Mobile Air Rifl e Range is swamped everywhere it goes. My son works in a gun shop and tells me he's seeing new shooters every day and they are spending up big. So what has changed? Over the last few years the endless SSAA NSW promotion of Shooting Sports has kicked in. The digital edition of your NSW Shooter is a success and all of our new media initiatives are catching on, like Facebook and Twitter. The core activity of SSAA NSW and the Board is to provide new shooting and hunting activities for members and that's what is happening. Grants to Branches have been increased and that is showing results with improved facilities. For the last six years the SSAA NSW Board has been a mix of business minded members who are united in the belief that they are building Australia's best SSAA organisation. The Range Development Fund has purchased large properties in Armidale and Dubbo and they will become SSAA NSW Regional Shooting Centres. Only SSAA NSW has its own range planner who is always available to talk to Branches about possible new ranges or range development. Now the SSAA NSW Head Offi ce is set up to help Branches solve problems, especially any potential range closure. And recently SSAA Insurance Brokers introduced the money saving gold membership which provides $25,000 fi rearms insurance cover for an additional $25. Today, people all over our great State are seeing how easy it is to enjoy our fantastic and challenging sport. Politicians from all parties are becoming shooters and over the next few years we will start to see them "come out". On the Federal scene, NSW Senator David Leyonhjelm is a shooter, so too is Victorian Senator Bridget McKenzie and others. In the NSW State Government there are both Liberal and National Party politicians who are shooters. Even the Labor Opposition who shows no interest in our sport is believed to have some shooters in Parliament. This means we have politicians in Government who understand the problems we face and can talk about solutions. So if things are all that good what are the problems facing SSAA NSW in the immediate and long term future? Easy, we need to build more ranges, big shooting centres, small baffl ed rim fi re ranges. We need to complete the National Parks Supplementary Pest Control program trial and take that to the next level for our members. SSAA NSW will be introducing a Farmer Assist hunting program which will give SSAA NSW hunters access to farming properties to help farmers clean up their feral problem. We need to welcome and support more junior shooters as they are the life blood of our sport. We need to gain access to the elite shooting sports for our talented members…How long is it since Australia won a high profi le gold medal in shooting? I believe Australia's international shooting results and funding leave a lot to be desired. NSW has only one major Shooting Association and that's SSAA NSW. Your Association has more members than any other shooting group in the State. Nationally the SSAA is the world's second largest shooting outfi t. What's more we have more members per capita than the American NRA. Today, SSAA NSW is the voice of Sporting Shooters in NSW. We are doing more to protect the future of shooting sports than any other body in NSW. The NSW Firearms Registry selected me to join a small industry Forum of four to work with the Registry to reshape and fi x unworkable regulations that affect our members. SSAA NSW is not interested in African Safaris, fi sherman, 4WDers, mountain climbers or any other mob that has nothing to do with shooting or hunting in this State. SSAA NSW will work with anyone who can help build our sport. So I ask you to show your pride… Put a SSAA logo on your car…. Wear a SSAA shirt….Talk about your SSAA hunting activities and ranges with pride. When other shooters knock the Association, just smile and tell them to get with the strength. They will be better off in your SSAA NSW. Seeya at the range, Paul McNabb President - SSAA (NSW) Inc. Over 52,000 REASONS TO WEAR IT WITH PRIDE

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