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President message - October 2007 Wipe the smile off the anti-gun lobby’s face The past month has been a busy one for the shooting sports in the media: ‘Gun clubs have kindy kids in their sights!’, ‘Gun kids set for the bush’, ‘Outrage as gun laws set to be eased’, ‘Up in arms over local gun shop’. And all because we have called on SSAA members to sign up their youngsters to the sport, or because Tasmanian shooters want to introduce their adolescent children to the craft of hunting or shock, horror, a retail firearms and ammunitions store is being opened up in a Sydney suburb to service the needs of licensed recreational shooters. On our internal junior membership drive John Crook of Gun Control Australia predictably said, “Teaching a child to shoot is teaching a child to kill”, while Daily Telegraph journalist Gemma Jones started her story on the Sydney gunshop with “Lethal semi-automatic guns have been approved for sale in a shop metres from a preschool attended by 30 children.” National Coalition for Gun Control’s Roland Browne chipped in by saying Tasmania’s proposed change to its hunting laws were “unsafe” and would “put guns in the hands of troubled youth”. Yes, folks, that is the mentality of some of the public and media community we are dealing with. It is exactly why signing up juniors - our children, our grandchildren, nieces and nephews - is ultimately the answer to preserving our chosen recreation. We can’t convert everyone to our cause and nor should we try. We can, however, explain the benefits of our sport and encourage family members and friends into the Association. Ironically, the media coverage the shooting sports has received and the SSAA in particular, has been quite valuable in spreading the message to shooters. SSAA National’s membership office has reported an increase in junior membership, which, I am sure, is only the start of bigger things to come. Similarly, SSAA representatives from both national and state levels have had the opportunity to rebut ridiculous comments and educate the public (and a few journalists) on the positives of shooting. No, we are not putting guns in the hands of kindergarten children. Yes, children as young as five can join the Association but no, they can’t participate in sports shooting until they reach the age legally required in their state or territory. Yes, we do want to educate children on the skills and safety requirements of competitive shooting and hunting. And far from being dangerous, shooting is one of the safest sports in the world and teaches a sense of responsibility that is an invaluable life skill. To keep the momentum of encouraging juniors into the SSAA, we have launched a monthly ‘Juniors Only’ win-a-prize competition, which they can enter online or through the Australian Shooter magazine. And don’t forget that all juniors will go in the running to win a $3500 Polaris Youth quad bike. I say again: Wipe the smile off the anti-gun lobby’s face. Sign up a junior and save our sport. Bob Green |