Should the SSAA become the NRA for Australia?

[bear foot bowhunter]

Hi guys , was thinking about this today and would love to here your thoughts , with all the stuff thats going on in the US if the ssaa became more active in the community through advertising and the such and backing gun and freedom friendly political party's , would this benefit us shooters , and how do you think this could be implemented ?

[AusTac]

The'll never step up to the plate or have the authority/following that the NRA has the SSAA seems to say one thing to us shooters and then just bends over to cope it from the government and then say oh well we tried

[happyhunter]

.

[<<Genesis93>>]

Do you mean vocal in the community or active??
They do not have the scale to spent the money.....the way it is now theyre not even active enough delivering even simple 'shooting opportunities ' imagine if they further diluted the shooting spent......

One single rifle range anywhere within a picnic toting trip from melbourne....

[bear foot bowhunter]

active and vocal , getting more people in to shooting , hunting and other out doors activetys , and dispelling myths , and pouting more into promoting our sport , and supporting those in a position to protect or further our freedoms

[Heckler303]

NRA: PROTECT OUR FREEDOM!

SSAA: Oh, was that some freedom we just lost? Darn it, we tried, thats what counts. Here, have a go at single shot .22s because thats all you really need.

differences in a nutshell

[petemacsydney]

Aussie culture - too relaxed and very different to the excitable Yanks to create an NRA level establishment (IMHO).

Gotta run guys, the cricket is on... lol

[bigfellascott]

Fark no, they are the last people you'd want fighting for you! They don't fight they cow tow and beg to be left alone.

[Homer]

G'Day Fella's,

The ssaa is non event in the political scene and I doubt, this will never change.
I could say more about Why they are this way but.........................................

The best thing all LAFO's could possibly do, is Join and or Vote for the Shooters and Fishers Party (S&FP)!
No S&F Party candidate in your area, contact them and try and arrange one to Vote for!!!

Hope that helps

Doh!
Homer

[Gregg]

The ssaa is non event in the political scene and I doubt, this will never change.
I could say more about Why they are this way but.........................................

Yep, they're not interested in being an advocate or peak body for shooters the way the NRA are.

They just want to run their ranges and make their magazine.

[<<Genesis93>>]

Although I am a member.... (I admit to making good use of the monthly toilet reading!!)

I am quite sure the SSAA would never rock the boat because the '96 laws were the best thing that happened for the organisation.... without the (effectively for many) mandatory club membership, how many members would there be Aus wide?

So would they campaign to change that particular requirement?? No.

[bigfellascott]

Yep that's why they are useless at defending the cause, cos they are busy defending the business/bank balance, that's the only real thing those at the top are interested in as far as I can tell.

It's just one big business dressed up as an organisation these days and they ain't getting any of my $$$ ever again I can tell you.

[David Brown]

Hi guys , was thinking about this today and would love to here your thoughts , with all the stuff thats going on in the US if the ssaa became more active in the community through advertising and the such and backing gun and freedom friendly political party's , would this benefit us shooters , and how do you think this could be implemented ?

BFB, can i strongly urge you to join Shooters Union, at least they have teeth and use them. And more than most realise. Its only $30 and hit the donate button. Far more what you are looking for.

[Heckler303]

Yep that's why they are useless at defending the cause, cos they are busy defending the business/bank balance, that's the only real thing those at the top are interested in as far as I can tell.

It's just one big business dressed up as an organisation these days and they ain't getting any of my $$$ ever again I can tell you.

Maybe Firearm Owners United should stand up and become the new SSAA, without the apathy.

[Wylie27]

FOU are just bogan mouth pieces who regurgitate what the Shooters Union say.

They do nothing positive for firearm ownership in Australia.

[Heckler303]

FOU are just bogan mouth pieces who regurgitate what the Shooters Union say.

They do nothing positive for firearm ownership in Australia.

All I've seen them done is promote responsible use and ownership and help out alongside One Shot Australia.


Have your opinion, but I don't really think too much of Shooters union to begin with.

[Varmtr]

All the shooting organisations need to combine as one. Like the Field & Game Federation of Australia has come together with the SSAA. But the Victorian F&G has left the federation thats just one example. But all honestly all shooting organisations ACTA, SSAA, F&G, NRA ( f class shooter ), small bore rifle and pistol etc etc need to get together as one organisation and work together on a united front.
As the old saying go's stand together or divided we fall.

[tom604]

All the shooting organisations need to combine as one. Like the Field & Game Federation of Australia has come together with the SSAA. But the Victorian F&G has left the federation thats just one example. But all honestly all shooting organisations ACTA, SSAA, F&G, NRA ( f class shooter ), small bore rifle and pistol etc etc need to get together as one organisation and work together on a united front.
As the old saying go's stand together or divided we fall.

^^^^^ this, include in the mix the shooters and fishers party because without political clout all the rest are ineffective . going to be hard to get them to stand together when they all have their own agendas and want to be the ones calling the shots and some of them don't want the laws to change as it may impact on their business model.

[<<Genesis93>>]

No, I disagree, all as one group is impossible and not practicable.
I think diversity is a horribly mis-construed word, but in the shooting arena, it is necessary .....there are just so many differing types of shooting, types of 'people' who would never co-ordinate. Who want vanilla anyway, when you can have strawberry, Choc, coffee, Boysenberry, raspberry, countless other flavours..

Thinking aloud here (at least as I type) but a loose affiliation of ALL shooters who then CHOOSE (as in pre-select) members from any of the countless organisations / club / groups / individuals, who wish to represent shooters (and non-shooters) in the parliaments of Australia.

Take S&FP for example, if it is to be the single political representation of shooters interests, its membership should include organisations AND individuals

[bigfellascott]

All the shooting organisations need to combine as one. Like the Field & Game Federation of Australia has come together with the SSAA. But the Victorian F&G has left the federation thats just one example. But all honestly all shooting organisations ACTA, SSAA, F&G, NRA ( f class shooter ), small bore rifle and pistol etc etc need to get together as one organisation and work together on a united front.
As the old saying go's stand together or divided we fall.

Never gonna happen, too many ego's and legends in their own lunchtime for that to ever happen.

[bear foot bowhunter]

All the shooting organisations need to combine as one. Like the Field & Game Federation of Australia has come together with the SSAA. But the Victorian F&G has left the federation thats just one example. But all honestly all shooting organisations ACTA, SSAA, F&G, NRA ( f class shooter ), small bore rifle and pistol etc etc need to get together as one organisation and work together on a united front.
As the old saying go's stand together or divided we fall.

Think it has to be all pro gun organizations , and party's ( sfp , LDP ,kap ,mep, ext. ) if theoretically this could be done , think we as shooters could hold back the tide and possibly change it

[sandgroperbill]

An affiliation, alliance or council. Ask the Victorians, they seem on the right track to achieving something along these lines. Then we need to get it national

[BBJ]

All the shooting organisations need to combine as one.

Agreed.

10 small organisations don't have anywhere near as much punch as a single organisation 10x the size.

[Varmtr]

I believe it can be done and should be done. They need to put aside the ego's and there own agenda's an attack on one's shooting / hunting / target is an attack on all of us.

[brett1868]

United we stand, divided we fall....I think all these splinter groups are playing into the hands of the anti's as one of the best battle strategies is to break the opposition into smaller pieces then destroy them piece by piece.

My thoughts...one all encompassing national body made up of an executive council we reps from each state. State bodies to have a committee rep for each discipline with equal voting rights and a central match / rule body. All facets of shooting get a voice at state level and are represented on a national level.

The above is probably a naïve view of a perfect world free of ego and self interest...

[Tiiger]

They should.

They won't.

[coloradoboy]

it is an impossibility. the NRA has a moral high ground with regards to the 2A which in turn garners unparalleled support from many upon many folk. it is our god-given and inalienable right.

Australia will never have that.

[Oldbloke]

They should.

They won't.

I agree.

But "Legends in their own lunchtime" sheesh that broke me up, have never heard that before.

[Title_II]

I know very little about these orgs. If we can't get them together, can't we just lobby them to establish constructive ties and promote common issues and recruit their members to legislative issues?

We have more than one guns rights organization in the USA, by the way, and not everybody likes or supports the NRA (which is a mistake nowadays IMO). We have several large ones.

Gun Owners of America has billed itself as the "take no crap" alternative to the NRA, although the NRA has come around in recent decades and been stronger on policy. GOA does more at the state level than NRA.

You know all those NRA victories you have read about in courts and the US Supreme Court in the last 10 years? Yeah, that' wasn't the NRA. That was the Second Amendment Foundation. The NRA was tangentially involved in a few, but did not champion any of them.

Here in The Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we have FOAC. They have done more to improve gun laws in our Commonwealth than all national gun organizations combined. FOAC also sends questionnaires to politicians, tracks their voting records, and provides a voting guide that goes all the way down to your local county clerk. I print out the guide from my district as a starting point and then mark it up as I have time to investigate some of the candidates. I then bring it with me to vote. Good idea, right? It makes the legislators nervous when they receive that survey in the mail.

And there are dozens more worthy of recognition. And, yes, they do butt heads and compete from time to time, but they do work together from time to time as well.

Here is an interesting idea:

http://amgoa.org/

This is an organization my friend started. They don't do any lobbying. They don't do any direct organizing. They are a clearinghouse for information to members of all gun organizations and a conduit for collaboration. Maybe you need a similar outside the box idea, an impartial coordinator between all the groups. This one is run by two people with about 3 or 4 other part time contributors.

[Aussier]

The SSAA is our largest body here but the problem is over time they've turned from a shooters advocate into a business that operates ranges and publishes a magazine.

It's not really about them not coming together with smaller groups because of differences of opinions, they just aren't interested.

The Shooters and Fishers Party is an active political party working for us shooters but they are small. Nothing remotely like the Republican or NRA levels of activity or push to protect gun rights.