November 2007 President message - Stick to your guns - make your vote count
Let me start this month’s editorial by telling you I am not going to advise SSAA members which of the major parties to vote for to govern our country. Who you vote for, either the ALP or Liberal/National Coalition, is your business.
We, of course, have a difficult track record with the Liberal Party, but there are genuine members among the Coalition, as there are in the ALP, who support recreational shooting and hunting. With the announced step down of Prime Minister John Howard some time during his term, should he win it, shooters could hope for more intelligent treatment than they have received in the past.
Likewise, the Federal Labor Party under the leadership of Kevin Rudd has signalled a closer, more understanding relationship with shooters. Mr Rudd is no stranger to the shooting range and has not shied away from the media about his support of the shooting sports.
Both parties have issued a statement to the SSAA, which you can read in this month’s SSAA Special Federal Election ASJ. If your copy of Australian Shooter did not come with this insert go to the ASJ page to download a copy.
With that said, as the National President of the SSAA representing more than 120,000 members, I will ask you to think very carefully about how you vote for the Senate. Why? Because despite both major parties offering some level of support to shooters, there is a very real chance that the Greens could hold the balance of power in the Upper House. The Greens could manipulate their position to blackmail the government of the day to legislate against private firearm ownership and hunting. Make no mistake, the Greens are no friend of the sporting shooter or the outdoorsman. Already they are pushing for a ban on all semi-automatic handguns and their irrational and childishly simplistic belief that only the police and defence force should have ownership of any kind of firearm is well known.
Anglers and four-wheel drivers will also be in for a rough time by the Greens, with more restrictions and lockouts from public land and marine areas promised. It is essential we keep the ambitions of the Greens in check by making sure our preferences in the Senate do not trickle down to them. We need to limit the number of Senate positions they win and ensure shooter-friendly parties and members are elected in the Upper House to neutralise their influence on the government.
Three main parties running for the Senate have supportive policies of the shooting sports: the Australian Shooters Party, Australian Fishing and Lifestyle Party and Family First. Not all of these parties have candidates in each state, so you will need to identify who is running in your state before going to the ballot box.
Should you wish to vote for a different party or candidate in the Senate, check where their preferences are going. Preferably, take the option to fill out the complete Senate paper, remembering to number all squares, making sure parties like the Greens and Democrats are definitely allocated last.
On November 24, stick to your guns and make your vote count.
Bob Green
SSAA National President
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