SSAA NSW

6 Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. From Diana's Desk SSAA NSW continues to lead the way Juniors SSAA NSW has made the development of juniors a major focus, after all they are the future of our sport. There are a number of initiatives that are offered directly from SSAA NSW including the provision of a subsidy for juniors attending any SSAA NSW State Title or SSAA National Championship. The subsidy provides reimbursement of registration fees, ammunition, fuel, accommodation and meals up to an amount of $250 for each separate event. Claims can be made for each and every eligible event they attend. To date SSAA NSW has paid out $21,249 in junior subsidies over the past four years. The SSAA NSW Junior Target Shooting Camp has been a very successful project. Now into its third year the 2018 camp was recently held in Griffith at the Branch's shotgun, rimfire and Rankins Springs ranges. Due to demand we increased the number of juniors from 20 to 28 this year. You can read about the 2018 Camp in a separate article on pages 12 to 15. Junior development at the 'grass roots' level is vital. To that end SSAA NSW provides administrative and financial support to Branches wishing to implement local junior development programs. INFLUENCING DECISION MAKERS… Positively influencing the decision-making process is a complex challenge. SSAA NSW's reputation as the 'go to' organisation for informed, rational and credible comment continues to strengthen. By ensuring that our positions are always evidenced-based and that our approach is collaborative and pragmatic, SSAA NSW is presented with unique opportunities not afforded to many other shooting bodies. SSAA NSW has become increasingly more active in its lobbying and representation activities. We continue to build working relationships with politicians and NSW Government Ministers; those that have the ultimate decision-making power when it comes to laws and policies that impact upon our activities. Navigating through the political, legislative and bureaucratic landscape is challenging and to effect long-term meaningful change takes time and requires foundations built on credibility, respect and a genuine intent to work collaboratively towards realistic and facts-based laws and policy. Current Issues There are a number of issues that SSAA NSW has been focussing on. For some we have had success in effecting change, others are still works in progress, but we are constantly utilising a multi-pronged approach to put forward our case for changes that will achieve fair and workable firearms laws and policies. Our objective are laws that are not onerous on law-abiding firearms owners but are effective in addressing the issue of illegal guns and gun crime as well as being evidence-based using sound facts and current data. In order to achieve this, there is a need for formal consultation at the decision-making level and SSAA NSW has been advocating for the establishment of a mechanism that ensures genuine consultation and includes representation from all affected stakeholders. This would build a common objective to contribute to reasonable and practical New South Wales firearms laws and align with current initiatives in other states and territories. Shared firearms laws are a responsibility while imposed firearms laws are resented. There are a number of items on our current advocacy agenda and these regularly feature in our representations to politicians, bureaucrats and legislators. SSAA NSW is advocating for: • a change in approach to appearance laws that provides an objective classification system based on functionality rather than appearance and that will align New South Wales with that of other jurisdictions, • its realistic proposal that provides a practical framework for access to suppressors for recreational purposes, • repealing of the entire Ammo Bill, • expansion of the available matches for high calibre handguns, • a permanent amnesty, • administrative and legislative changes to address the issue faced by David Dunstan and ensure it doesn't happen to anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation, • removal of mandatory longarms attendances, • mechanisms to address frivolous AVOs, • reintroduction of legislation that enables the revocation of expired AVOS, • a reduction in exclusion periods to 5 years to align with those of other jurisdictions, • funding for range development and improvement, • exemptions for firearms with folding stocks where it is clear these are required for legitimate operation and maintenance, • amalgamation of target shooting and recreational hunting/vermin control genuine reasons for AB licence holders, • removal of restrictive criteria on the approved activities for shooting ranges, and • removal of administrative restrictions on the approval of new matches.

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