Passion for shooting sports runs deep on the Northern Rivers
Northern Star, Page: 7. Monday, 16 March, 2009
There are almost 20,000 registered firearms in the Lismore-Murwillumbah region and fewer than 5800 licensed gun holders, making the local shooters a tribe dedicated to their hobby.
New figures released by the NSW Police Force, in answer to a question on notice asked by Lismore MP Thomas George, show locals love their guns.
And they were wearing their hearts on their sleeves at an open day at the Casino rifle range yesterday. Mums, dads, grandfathers and children braved the heat and loaded up shotguns, muzzleloading rifles, .22-calibre handguns and military service .22 trainers.
Among the enthusiasts were three generations of dedicated shooters from the Kirkpatrick family.
Ian Kirkpatrick, a former Kyogle councilor, learned his love for shooting from his father and passed the tradition down to his son, Matthew, who is now sharing the passion with his eight-year-old son, Seth. Between them, they own at least 14 guns.
“Probably I was just born liking it,” Seth said.
The Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA) Northern Rivers Branch has 630 members; about 60 of them aged under 18.
Parents can sign up their children to the club from birth, but they cannot get their junior licence until they are 12.
The SSAA has up to 115,000 members across the country and firearm ownership is on the rise.
In NSW, registered firearms have reportedly increased from 650,185 in May 2005 to 687,200 by the end of last year.
For people who grow up around guns, the love runs deep.
“This is the only thing I really love doing,” the senior Kirkpatrick said.
A three-month gun amnesty began earlier this month in NSW.
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