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President message - April 2008 SSAA National attends WFSA annual meeting March 12 and 13 was the annual meeting of the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities (WFSA). Held in Nuremberg, Germany, at the Internationale Waffen Ausstellung (IWA), this meeting was important and the last opportunity for world sport shooting organisations and major manufacturing groups to meet face to face to discuss the agenda for the upcoming 2008 Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms. This Small Arms meeting will be held in New York from July 14 to 18 and will review progress on the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms. As in previous years, it was decided by the members of the WFSA to present a combined statement to the Small Arms meeting under the auspices of the WFSA, which has recognised non-governmental organisation (NGO) status under the UN charter. The SSAA and NRA, which also hold UN NGO status, will be attending in support of the WFSA combined statement. The Small Arms meeting is important and will give the SSAA the opportunity to discuss small arms in all their aspects with other like-minded people and organisations. We will also be able to see first-hand side events presented by such organisations as the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) and their propaganda and continuous argument of de-arming not only governments, but also normal, licensed and law-abiding citizens. It is because of organisations such as these that we must continue to attend such meetings to try to combat the global trend of unreasonable attacks on the private ownership of firearms. This year the WFSA statement will be headed by its new president Mr C Edward ‘Ted’ Rowe of the USA. Ted has been involved in firearms manufacturing for the past 30 years. He currently heads the WFSA subcommittee Manufacturers’ Advisory Group (MAG) and is also the chairman of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI). Mr Rowe was unanimously voted to this position on March 13 at the General Assembly, after Mr Carlo Peroni stood down after some 12 years at the helm of the WFSA. I cannot speak too highly of Mr Peroni’s efforts in uniting sport shooting organisations and manufacturers’ associations into a combined and active pro-firearm group. As SSAA National President, I sincerely thank Carlo for all of his efforts and wish Ted Rowe a productive and successful presidency. Bob Green |