The Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (Northern Territory) is actively lobbying NT Police and Police Minister Nicole Manison against reclassification of the Savage A22R .22 rifle0.
The firearm is currently Class A but in October this year owners were informed it was being reclassified to Class C and told they’d either have to sell their rifle or obtain an updated firearms licence within three months.
In letters to Northern Territory Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker and Police Minister Nicole Manison, SSAA (NT) said the declarations to reclassify the rifle were made without consultation with relevant stakeholders. SSAA (NT) also said the reclassification raises significant concerns for its members and asked for the declarations to be revoked.
The letter includes seven main concerns to be considered as a matter of urgency, including: “At no time was our organization, or anyone representing shooters, consulted or spoken to whatsoever about re-categorisation of these firearms. This matter took us by complete surprise and came without any apparent justification or reason.”