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SSAA’s statement to the United Nations United Nations Biennial Meeting of States to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects By Tim Bannister 16 July 2008 Mr Chairman, thankyou for the opportunity to address the Third Biennial Meeting of States. My name is Tim Bannister and I represent the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia, an NGO, now in its 60th year, with 120,000 law-abiding recreational shooters and hunting members in Australia. I say law-abiding, because our membership and recreational shooters across my country have been proven time and time again, to be the most community safety conscious and law respecting, in the nation. To them firearms are a tool that engages them in sport, hunting and they are an aid to protecting our native flora and fauna. Our members treat their firearms with respect. Mr Chairman, we are all familiar with the damage the trade in illicit small arms and their subsequent misuse can do to States and their regional neighbours. But the wounds of ethnic and political unrest cannot be healed by simply removing the weapons of choice of the day. No doubt there are those here who can testify to the carnage a machete or knife can cause. Any object can become a weapon, when an individual makes the decision to use it for harm. As always, the solutions to violence lie with working through the complex layers of community division. The SSAA has worked closely with its Pacific neighbours in promoting safe and responsible use of firearms. We applaud the efforts of our Government in providing training and financial aid to our neighbours in their pursuit of reducing internal conflict and violence. We will continue to support the Australian Government in its efforts and endeavours in the South Pacific to stamp out the opportunistic trade in illicit firearms. Our desire is to always see firearms in responsible hands. Part of our role is to ensure the freedoms of our members are protected now and into the future. It is important to remember that law-abiding and legitimate firearm owners are not contributors to crime, terrorism or violence. Responsible shooters and hunters are an asset of a nation and should be treated with due respect and not be the subject of misinformed or over zealous reforms. Reforms, laws and treaties must be always crafted with honest and evidence-based foundations, not pious hopes or best of intentions. We trust the representatives here today, take into account all stake holders in the democratic formation of this or any other treaty and I thank you for your time. |