David Oldfield positive aspects of firearms speech
Speech given in Parliament
by David Oldfield
One Nation New South Wales
25 October 2001
Mr Deputy President,
As a firearms enthusiast I rise this evening to speak of the many positive aspects of firearms ownership and the activity of shooting in general.
Shooters are people from all walks of life, workers, professionals, tradesmen, homemakers, students, even the occasional member of parliament.
Shooters are men, women and children - indeed shooting, be it hunting or competition, is a past time that is enjoyed by whole family groups.
Shooting enthusiasts come from all over NSW.
They are like current Australian women's champion and former world champion Robyn Estreich from the Sydney western suburb of Blacktown, current world championship holder Tim Anderson from Narrabri in country NSW and Josh Sweeney, an Australian junior champion and Yr 10 student from Cessnock in the Hunter region.
Shooting has no significant age barriers, nor is it a past time that precludes people on the basis of their fitness - no one is too tall, too short, too fat or too skinny to be a shooter.
Even those wheelchairbound are still able to enjoy firearms and in fact, many such participants excel in the sport of shooting.
Mr Deputy President,
When I began competition pistol shooting in the late 1980s, one of the particular aspects of the sport that I thoroughly appreciated was that my father, who was over 70 at the time and the recipient of 6 hip replacements, was able to join me in an activity where we could compete together on equal terms.
There are hundreds of thousands of shooters in our country - the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia alone have 120,000 registered members.
When you add to those numbers the thousands of competition pistol shooters, at least 10,000 of whom are registered with the NSW Amateur Pistol Association, specialist groups, military rifle clubs, farmers to whom firearms are tools and countless others, it is clear shooting is a consistently safe activity undertaken by a large proportion of the Australian population.
Mr Deputy President,
Even collecting and displaying firearms of various types is not only popular, but a significant contribution to the recording of our history.
The law abiding use of firearms by responsible shooters is more than a tremendous recreational yet disciplined activity, it also contributes jobs and income to industries including tourism.
Only last week Blacktown Pistol Club hosted the Action Pistol National championships - an event that drew competitors and spectators from around Australia and overseas.
Next March the Sydney International shooting complex will host the World Cup. This important event will draw thousands of participants and spectators from over 90 countries.
Mr Deputy President,
Australia has an amazing record of achievement in shooting, with many competitors travelling to different countries where they dazzle their opponents with their shooting prowess and international sportsmanship.
In the world side by side gun and rifle championships last year in New York, Australians Craig Lewis, Andrew Hepner, Graeme Wright and Mark White devastated their American hosts by taking 4 of the first 5 placings.
Of course it shouldn't surprise anyone to learn of the unparallelled expertise of Australian shooters when we look at our outstanding results in some of the 17 shooting events of the Sydney Olympics.
We can all remember the thrill and excitement of watching shotgunner Michael Diamond beat the best of the best to take his second gold medal in the men's trap event, but of course we must also remember the tremendous silver and bronze winning performances of Russell Mark and Anne Marie Forder.
These great Australian shooters and many others like Natasha Lonsdale did Australia proud and no doubt will again.
Mr Deputy President,
Responsible shooters master the safe handling of firearms - they are people of great mental discipline who often extend their concentration and control in positive ways that benefit other aspects of their lives.
Shooters have gained national environmental recognition for their successful work in protecting endangered species by the removal of feral animals. This was most recently evidenced by the receipt of the Banksia Environmental Foundation Award.
Mr Deputy President,
Organised shooting in Australia has an unsurpassed record of safety - injuries are almost non-existent and with pistol shooting as the example, shooting is perhaps the only sport where insurance premiums have actually halved because of the lack of incidents.
Law abiding shooters are Australians who undertake their activities with great responsibility and care - they are people who respect the rules of our society and rightfully expect a fair opportunity to pursue their chosen pastime without undue impediment.
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