In a bid to educate the nation’s media and legislators about firearms and the shooting sports, more than 1500 copies of an easy-to-read guide will be distributed to news desks, universities and politicians as a Christmas present from the nation’s sporting shooters.

Authored and published by the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA National), the second edition of A Journalist’s Guide to Firearms and the Shooting Sports is a must-have for those tasked with reporting or speaking about firearms-related topics, specifically written for those who may not have handled a firearm before.

The guide includes important firearms terminology, current and past firearms laws in Australia, and the SSAA’s 10 commandments for journalists, including when photographing or filming sporting shooters or hunters.

SSAA National Media Officer and Australian Shooter journalist Kate Fantinel said the guide can be used as a handy resource that media professionals, journalism students and politicians can turn to for a crash-course in the sport and chosen pastime.

“As a journalist, it is important to get the facts right, but in today’s 24-hour news cycle, it is becoming extremely difficult for time-poor journalists to check that what their source is saying is verifiable and correct,” she said.

“Written by journalists for journalists, this guide is a valuable resource for those with no prior knowledge of firearms or the shooting sports, and includes a ‘myth-busting’ section’ to address misinformation spread by anti-gun groups, with inaccuracies often broadcast unknowingly.

“It also seeks to educate the media about firearms safety, with photos or footage of a camera looking down the barrel breaking the first rule of handling a firearm: treat every firearm as if it’s loaded.

“The guide also features the SSAA’s stance on particular topics, such as handguns, related social issues and the reality of the black market.”