NSW Firearms Amendment Bill: what does it mean for shooters in larger context?
The Firearms Amendment Bill (FAB) which ultimately seeks to restrict shooters in NSW purchasing ammo has caused quite a stir indeed. It has outraged shooters particularly in NSW, who feel their rights as law abiding shooters have been again restricted and their sports future is becoming more and more unclear. While in contrast the anti-shooting community’s constant attempts to continually deny Australian’s the right to participate in sporting shooting and hunting has been fuelled even legitimized by the shortsighted authorities in NSW. As shooters passionate about our sport, and even more so in NSW, any restriction to our sport strikes a deep blow into our confidence about our state and federal government’s ability to adequately govern and implement laws regarding firearms and shooters in Australia. However I dare say, the greater concern to the average law abiding Australian shooter (and if it is not it should be!) is the future of our great sport. The FAB has indeed raised a number of questions and has promoted numerous debates amongst shooters especially; this article seeks to bring those debates and questions to lights and attempt to explain them.
Perhaps the most dominate and heated debate about the FAB is simply the argument “other states already have these laws, what’s the big deal?” On face value this appears a valid argument, West Australian’s for example have been subjected to the laws trying to be implemented in NSW for far too long; it has in fact been the norm for West Australian’s wanting to participating in shooting or hunting for as long as I can remember. There are very little if any, direct influences or problems that will occur in other states such as WA as a result from the NSW change of laws in regards to purchase of ammunition. However, the indirect influences from the FAB in NSW have the potential to be extremely profound and long-term, which unfortunately some shooters overlook. The fact of the matter is that the FAB will not only affect shooters in NSW but it will have other indirect and flow on consequences for other states and indeed the shooting community in general. Such consequences include the misrepresentation of the shooting community particularly in the media, the willingness for other states to enforce similar or stricter laws with NSW acting as the catalyst and finally the simple fact that the rights and freedoms of shooters are slowly being dissolved. All of these issues will be discussed.
Firstly, such changes to firearm laws almost exclusively portray shooters in a relatively negative aspect, which ultimately reduces public support, negating the shooting community. In the case of the FAB in NSW the negative publicity comes in the form of the NSW government’s superficial and lackluster justification for the amendment. The justification for the FAB is to ultimately reduce crime, and in particular the circulation of illegal firearms and drive by shootings. Without going into it too much, any free thinking, logical person could fathom that the introduction of such laws would have little to no effect on crime, only law abiding shooters. However, the point remains that law abiding shooters in this case are being directly linked with crime, and according to the authorities restricting ammunition to licensed shooters will proportionately reduce crime. The only message that society is getting from its government is that the shooting community is essential responsible for crime, and the only way to reduce that crime is to either reduce shooters and hunters or limit their freedoms. They have tried both. This being a clear example of Naturalized assumptions being systematically entrenched into the thinking of society in regards to shooting, which ultimately results in less public support. Although other states may already have these laws enforced or shooters feel that “what happens in NSW doesn’t affect us”, we need to remember that laws such as these which publically portray the sport of shooting being linked to crime, paints a target on the back of all shooters, not just those in NSW.
Secondly, theease and speed in which NSW were able to propose such a bill to restrict shooters has the potential to set a precedent to other states in dealing with crime or be it any shooting related controversy. Even after the restrictions of 1996 the pollies are still trying to restrict our sport even more, it therefore stands to reason that a catalyst such as the NSW FAB is all that is needed to convince other states to enforce even tougher laws on already law abiding Australian’s. The ‘domino theory’ coined to describe the spread of communist during the Cold War comes to mind, If one state fall to communism then so will the surrounding states, it only takes one domino to fall. If shooters don’t stand up to protect their rights then other surrounding states will take the opportunity to tighten up their gun control laws like NSW, using weak, superficial justifications to implement their will, inevitably resulting in the deteriorating of the rights and freedoms for Australian shooters.
Finally, regardless of where we live in Australia, all shooters should consider the NSW FAB to be an attack on the rights and freedoms of shooters and the shooting community, particularly when considering the lunacy of the given justification for such an amendment. When we consider ourselves shooters we don’t consider ourselves Western Australian shooters, or South Australian Shooters or even NSW shooters, but rather we are first and foremost Australian shooters. Weather a law changes in one state or nationally, it will ultimately affect all of us in one form or another if we like it or not. As a minority group in Australia, shooters need to support each other at both a state and nation level, as the old saying goes: united we stand, divided we fall.
How do you think the NSW FAB will affect other states firearm laws?
What’s your opinion on the changes to the purchase of ammunition in NSW?
Will this law realistically help prevent crime?
"The government view in Australia"
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Related posts:
- Firearms Amendment (Ammunition Control) Bill 2012 (NSW)
- NSW Greens to Introduce Bill To Limit Shooters to 3 Guns.
- Shooters Party Tabling Another Firearms Ammendment Bill
Category: Hunting and Shooting News, Politics & Media
I will check up on. This but I am pretty sure that in SA what we have is a check to see if you are licensed for that class of ammo eg rim fire or centre fire. That is certainly what the act says when I read it last week.
yeah stephen your correct about that but im pretty sure they just look to see if your licensed mainly
Has the bill actually passed through and been endorsed by the NSW parliament?
All dealers in SA will ask to see your FA licence before selling you ammunition. I have asked them why they do this and the standard answer is compliance with regulations even if you had purchased ammunition the day before.
Being voted on tonight I think mate. It will be passed into law, there will likely be amendments to it, the Greens are pushing hard for more of their amendments. TSFP have put forward amendments to try and make it as workable as possible. Either way though TSFP will oppose the bill even if their amendments are put through.