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Ssaa Responds To Gca’s Report


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taken from SSAA email newsletter 5-10-17

SSAA responds to GCA’s report into Australia’s gun laws

The SSAA has issued the following press release today in response to a report by Gun Control Australia (GCA) into the National Firearms Agreement:

The National Firearms Agreement (NFA) is a non-binding document that serves as a guideline for Australia’s state and territory governments on which to base their firearms laws. States and territories are ultimately responsible for firearm laws and always have been. This has always been the case.

The
report commissioned by Gun Control Australia (GCA) and written by a known anti-gun author simply demonstrates that state and territory governments have adapted the NFA to suit the individual and unique circumstances of each jurisdiction. The state and territory governments have been entrusted with formulating firearm laws which best apply to their constituents. The circumstances in outback Queensland are vastly different from inner city Sydney.

GCA report here: http://www.gunpolicy.org/documents/6936-firearm-legislation-in-australia-21-years-after-the-national-firearms-agreement/file

The SSAA will always support measures that genuinely contribute to public safety. We will not, however, sit back while radical fringe groups dictate policy on the basis of fear and emotion, instead of scientific evidence and commonsense. GCA, with the support of the Australian Greens Party, which has a long-held ideological hatred of firearms, is again using fear to sensationalise the reality of Australia’s gun laws. We condemn the opportunistic timing of the report’s release to coincide with the tragic events that occurred in the United States.

The SSAA will closely examine the report’s findings in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we encourage GCA and its friends to focus on the criminal misuse of illegal firearms rather than continuing to harass law-abiding firearm owners, for no public safety benefit.

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taken from SSAA email newsletter 12-10-17

Finally, a pragmatic firearms piece devoid of hysteria published

Among all the noise, it was refreshing to see a non-emotive article on the real state of Australia’s gun laws published on The Conversation. Written by criminologists, the article explained how state and territory governments are ultimately responsible for gun laws.

The authors cautioned against extreme views that inhibit constructive debates. Read and share this article to counter the misinformation spread by GCA and Mr Alpers.

https://theconversation.com/oversimplifying-gun-control-issues-can-pose-a-real-threat-to-community-safety-85244

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taken from SSAA email newsletter 12-10-17

 

SSAA BLAST AMA CENTRALISED STORAGE THOUGHT BUBBLE

 

09 October 2017 / In Politics

The Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) calls for registered firearms of licensed owners living in cities to be stored at gun clubs is an impractical 'thought bubble' devoid of any evidence that it would somehow solve a non-existent problem. Unashamedly capitalising on the recent Las Vegas tragedy, the doctors’ group has shunned offers of advice from experienced firearms researchers at the SSAA, resulting in the poorly thought out proposal.

Reported in News Corp publications on October 8, AMA president Michael Gannon outlined how law-abiding firearms owners should be forced to hand over their registered, properly stored guns to the local club to look after, under the misguided view that this would somehow make society safer. “Farmers should be storing weapons securely on their property, but there’s no reason a sporting shooter in a metropolitan area needs to keep a gun at home,” he said. “We’re not calling on a ban, but for the appropriate use of firearms.”

The SSAA was contacted for comment and we made it clear that putting the onus of firearms storage on gun clubs, mostly run by volunteers, was impractical and uncalled for. We pointed out that law-abiding firearm owners already adhere to stringent storage requirements and that centralised storage essentially creates a target for thieves.

Strangely, the AMA’s Firearms - 2017 policy manifesto  https://ssaa.org.au/news-resources/politics/ssaa-responds-to-doctors-groups-ill-advised-foray-into-firearms   clearly outlined that licensed firearm owners should store firearms at home, under the current storage conditions. It made no mention of centralised storage for urban shooters. The latest thought bubble cites no evidence to suggest that there is even an issue with storage; in fact, rare gun thefts usually occur in regional areas, a fact the SSAA would have happily shared with the AMA if it had bothered to consult us.

In a sad sign of the times, the AMA’s comments once again show the poor state of debate when it comes to firearms, with no evidence or expert advice sought before broadcasting its flawed opinions. Even more disappointing is the fact that the SSAA wrote to the AMA earlier this year, offering our expert advice to help formulate a factual firearms policy.

The SSAA would like to remind the AMA to focus its time and efforts on its actual purpose; that is, improving our healthcare system and ensuring that doctors are providing patients with a high standard of care. Firearms policy should be left to those with real-world experience and decades of evidence-based research, which the SSAA proudly boasts.

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do not know what your questions are but this may be part of an answer

www.mtmeegallery.com

Residents against Rocksberg Rifle Range (RARRR) are a group of people opposing the establishment of an outdoor shooting range west of Caboolture.

Why We Are Concerned

If approved, the proposed range is to be located in an area of protected minor waterways which run into protected ecological areas mapped by the state government and recognised by ecologists to home vulnerable, rare and protected animal species, as well as being ‘high value bushland habitat’ to koalas. This will be 1km upstream from your drinking water catchment and less than 1/2 km, YES that is correct! Less than 500m from the back yards of two families with young children.

Residents and ratepayers of Rocksberg, Ocean View, Caboolture West and the broader Moreton Bay Hinterland, this is why you need to take notice:

Firing on the range is approved for firing in excess of over 100 days a year for the discharge of cartridges that travel up to 3,500 feet per second. This includes two weekends per month.

The amenity of residents of and visitors to properties surrounding the proposed range site, Caboolture River Road, Ocean View and Rocksberg Valley will be adversely impacted by the noise from firearms. Expert reports predict noise levels of up to 85dB from sustained bursts of gunshots.

Our amenity is also threatened by the potential danger caused by stray ammunition.

If you live on or use Caboolture River Road you must be prepared to accommodate the additional traffic generated –an 85 space parking lot must be constructed to accommodate the extra cars and shooting visitors who are likely to attend the proposed range.

The peace and serenity of surrounding properties will be adversely affected.

Koalas and several species of significant flora and fauna may be placed under environmental pressure.

It is expected that contaminants from the proposed range (including lead) can potentially contaminate the water catchment 1km from the proposed range site.

Tourism and economic growth in your region will be negatively impacted.

Your recreation facilities in the shire may be impacted by the potential noise and water contamination, for example family picnic areas, natural swimming holes and popular fishing spots such as Zillman’s Crossing, The Rocksberg Swing, and Ten Bob Crossing.

RARRR needs all your support to fight to successfully challenge the approval of the proposed rifle range. Support of any kind, either in person or financially will be appreciated. You can support us by linking your site to ours with this graphic.

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