The shoot at Sporting Shooters’ Pistol Club of the ACT (SSPC ACT) facilitated by the Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia (SIFA) brought together politicians, staffers and friends.
Co-chairs Victorian Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie and New South Wales Labor Member for Hunter Dan Repacholi were at the helm and welcomed the group before Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia ACT (SSAA ACT) ran a safety briefing.
Participants then took part in introductory shoots using .22 calibre pistols on the 25 metre International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF) Range and 9mm pistols on the Falling Plate Range.
At the conclusion of the introductory shoots, SSPC ACT members demonstrated a Falling Plate competition and Mr Repacholi demonstrated his shooting technique on the 25m Range. SSAA ACT and SSPC ACT member Dr Ross Bills also provided an exhibition of British handguns from the Napoleonic Era to the present day.
In addition to allowing PFOS shoot representatives to build important social ties, the event allowed SSAA representatives to talk about our Association, disciplines and ethos. SSAA ACT reports several membership inquiries have come from local staffers following the shoot.The PFOS group was relaunched in Federal Parliament last month, bringing together different sides of politics, members of the shooting community and wider industry. It is a useful a vehicle for our community to jointly advocate and increase the understanding of our sport among members of parliament, staff and the general public. The PFOS initiative began in 2015 and the group has been reborn several times following federal elections and has resulted in useful conversations, relationships and social occasions at the range.