The year 2024 is set to be a big one for SSAA publications, competitions and in the political arena across the country. As our state and territory membership numbers continue to grow beyond 215,000, the SSAA is truly Australia’s premier body representing firearm owners, hunting and the shooting sports.
The monthly Australian Shooter continues to be provided to all members either in print or digitally depending on your preference, while the wide range of SSAA disciplines are back in full swing after the Covid-19 pandemic virtually closed competitions on home soil and across the globe overnight. Indeed this year we’ll have an opportunity to watch the best shooters in Australia compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with selection starting soon for those hopeful contenders.
Australian Hunter magazine’s quarterly issues for 2024 kick-off in March and are available to members for just $34 delivered. Later this year we can look forward to the next edition of Australia’s magazine of destination, exploration and conservation, Great Australian Outdoors. This is a very useful vehicle for spreading our message to the wider public about hunting as a conservation and environmental management tool. Great Australian Outdoors is now approaching its fifth edition, with many of the past issues proving so successful they’ve sold out. It has also been recognised with awards and commendations both in Australia and around the world.
The Australian & New Zealand Handgun magazine Edition 22 was released in December and the next one is planned for later this year. This dedicated magazine for handgun enthusiasts is released annually and available now at $13.95 to members.
On the political front, the National Firearms Register development is expected to get under way this year, as well as upgrades to state and territory firearms registries to allow their systems to integrate. SSAA Inc is in regular contact with the relevant departments and federal agencies and is primed to be involved in the ongoing development of this project as a key stakeholder.
Some state and territory SSAA associations will also face some political advocacy and lobbying challenges this year, the most significant likely to be in the west where the Western Australian Government is set to table a draft Firearms Act early this year. This follows two years of commentary from the majority Labor government making it very clear they’d rather target law-abiding firearm owners with increased regulations than address the root cause of illegal firearm use and crime in society.
All the SSAA Inc activities, publications and major competition information can be found on this website and your relevant state or territory website is the place to go for local updates.