Finally Common Sense form a Govt, Department.

[pomemax]

In essence I agree with all of the comments above. But why wave a red flag. That's what started the Adler debacle, advertising that bragged about speed of shot.
Just saying.

tend to agree (I still think the adler campaign was a failed attempt at advertising )

[brett1868]

In the end it's just a big ass picture, the object of any advertising is to draw attention. A tacticool pimped out rifle gets more attention then the bog stock timber stocked version of the same caliber & action type. There will always be complainers no matter what, best just to ignore them and continue on. It'll be a Ad about breast feeding in a couple months and a new batch of complainers will rise up...

[bigrich]

These parents complaining are idiots. I bet they have no issue with the call of duty ads showing a soldier with an assault rifle. They no doubt let their kids play the game all day so they can get high on weed!

this is a very valid point. how many of these complaining parents let their kids play graphic violence video games and don't think twice about it . is it grand theft auto where you run people down with a car , shoot, stab, etc, etc.very common game, like call of duty and assassins creed. supposed to be a restricted over 18 game, yet lots of people let their 12 year olds play it. far more harmfull than a billboard rifle add i would think. just my 2 cents....

[bigfellascott]

Inappropriate...Think of the children...Too scary...yada yada yada...

I did and the result, 2nd Place Juniors Medal in 300m competition yesterday Yep, he's definitely looking offended and traumatised by the big scary tactical black child killing weapon of mass destruction.

IMG_4301.jpg

Well done to that young man , keep it up and the rifle looks like a rippa too Brett

[Oldbloke]

"Well done to that young man , keep it up and the rifle looks like a rippa too Brett "

Yep, +2

[brett1868]

He had a great day and this will be added as a regular comp for him, I'll step back from competition for a while to work on getting him proficient. The rifle is a bog stock Tikka using Hornady Match 6.5Creedmoor 147gr ELD-M factory ammo. He's pretty lucky cause the instructors at StMary's have been great with him and Wylie27 has done a bit of lefty on lefty coaching as well. I did get some negative comments from friends about that pic, they have now been demoted to "Acquaintance" and just 1 stupid comment away from "Dead to me".

Back on the topic though....12yr old boy posing with a Hipster Tacticool rifle drew plenty of negatives based purely on appearance rather then function. Might take a picture of him with the Whitworth BP rifle and see if the reaction is any different. Shouldn't matter what make model or type of rifle was on the billboard, it's legal and complies with the code. I understand that maybe it's better to fly under the radar out of fear of being persecuted by the anti's but I'm not convinced this is the best overall long term strategy to grow our sport. That and I get pleasure knowing the anti's are getting all worked up over essentially just a picture

[sungazer]

I think trying to fly under the radar has been the strategy for a long while. In fact there are lot of examples where organizations and people have made comments like"dont put up a fuss it could be worse" This type of attitude as seen the decline on a lot of rifle ranges and the decline of rifle ranges. It is time to be part of the community be seen as a safe sport and not a threat to anyone.

[bigrich]

I think trying to fly under the radar has been the strategy for a long while. In fact there are lot of examples where organizations and people have made comments like"dont put up a fuss it could be worse" This type of attitude as seen the decline on a lot of rifle ranges and the decline of rifle ranges. It is time to be part of the community be seen as a safe sport and not a threat to anyone.

your absolutely right. the trick is for shooting clubs/assossiations is to get positive media stories. this is the catch. even with australian shooters doing well in the olympic / commonwealth games, these rate as very minor stories. and cant compete with the "shock/horror" stories that the media prefer to run on the latest mass shooting in america.. the media is the real power in this modern electronic world. it influences public opinion and views, which in turn influences politicians/ government. have seen positive stories such as the federal sports minister taking other pollies out clay shooting for the day. local sporting clubs instead of taking a "under the radar" approach need a higher community profile in the community as you suggest SG. charity events, open days. i think there is change starting to happen. i also think grass roots ssaa members need to be more vocal to senior management about disatisfaction with the direction/politics of the organisation. some of the things i've been told about belmont management , they sound like power hungry mafia bosses

[sungazer]

Absolutely media is where it is at, Our rifle club has a great guy that spends an hour a week on the local Radio with his own time slot and show, he is ultra passionate about Target Rifle as a sport. He is a qualified Instructor and writes an article every week on a Sunday night after the competitions to circulate to the local papers. The local papers get complaints when he is unable to put a story in, he is battling with cancer. Last year we managed to even kick the local football team of the front cover and got the Mansfield Courier/ Rotary sporting Club of the Year. The articles get sent to all the locals all over the Goulburn Valley and surrounds.
The change in perception has been huge some of the members get stopped in the street and congratulated or asked questions unfortunately it is only in the country and not the main stream but it is a start.

[brett1868]

It's funny, I work in a corporate environment surrounded by suits but the shooters always seem to know each other. I call it "Gundar", we all sit together in meetings or social events quietly discussing the shooting sports though quickly changing the subject if an outsider gets within earshot.

Being a shooter is a bit like being a homosexual in the 70's, time to get out of the closet I think.

[Oldbloke]

It's funny, I work in a corporate environment surrounded by suits but the shooters always seem to know each other. I call it "Gundar", we all sit together in meetings or social events quietly discussing the shooting sports though quickly changing the subject if an outsider gets within earshot.

Being a shooter is a bit like being a homosexual in the 70's, time to get out of the closet I think.

Agree, that is a white collar phenomenon. Blue collar workers are out in the open when it comes to shooting sports. I'm currently working on a construction site and talk about it all the time.

But pretty careful what I say when speaking with for example the MD or finance manager.

[Bent Arrow]

It's funny, I work in a corporate environment surrounded by suits but the shooters always seem to know each other. I call it "Gundar", we all sit together in meetings or social events quietly discussing the shooting sports though quickly changing the subject if an outsider gets within earshot.

Being a shooter is a bit like being a homosexual in the 70's, time to get out of the closet I think.

Agree, that is a white collar phenomenon. Blue collar workers are out in the open when it comes to shooting sports. I'm currently working on a construction site and talk about it all the time.

But pretty careful what I say when speaking with for example the MD or finance manager.

That's interesting. I work directly and indirectly with white collar workers almost every day. There's several hunters scattered through the group. It's no secret that I hunt, and many of my clients are very well aware of it. I even have open conversations with two avid vegetarians I work with. One of them, who does not eat meat because of his perceptions of how animals are farmed has said, and I believe he means it, that he would eat meat from feral animals that he has hunted himself. Pretty much all of these people would easily be described as having a strong green bent.

In my experience it's all about the way you engage in the conversation. Familiarise yourself with the ability to articulate the role hunting has in conservation and habitat restoration, the option of ethically harvested meat from feral animals that are damaging the environment rather than farmed animals that aren't always treated well or are fed/injected antibiotics and hormones.

Talk about taking pride in taking responsibility for putting your food on your table yourself rather than paying someone else to do it for you. We eat a lot of game meat in my house, and I have made a point of putting some sort of game meat based meal on the table at family get togethers for the last couple of years. There is never any left overs. Attitudes quickly changed from, "ohh you like to kill things, your a weirdo" to "wow, that is really interesting, how do you cut them up, how do you this, how do you that" .

I give meat to family members and there's not much better than getting a text message with a photo saying we made such and such, it was delicious..........
Simple facts like some states in the US actually mandate how much/what meat you have to take from an animal changes attitudes.

A simple explanation of how taking a relatively small proportion of males from a population has essentially no impact on the long term sustainability of a population are all useful things to know and be able to place into conversations.

I've been amazed at just how many people don't think about this stuff, and when you point it out, their attitude changes pretty quickly. The real haters are still going to hate, but many haters are just ignorant of what is involved in hunting, why? Because we hide away in the closet.......

[Gwion]

^^^

[darwindingo]

Yep, that's the way to do it BA

Managed to get a few hard earned converts under my belt over the years..

[Rod_outbak]

My bank Agri-Business bank manager does a visit out to our property (Western QLD) roughly every 4 months.
Nice bloke, and grew up on a farm somewhere near Albury.
Pete works pretty hard for his clients, and knows enough about rural business to separate the crap from the important stuff.

First time he visited, and not knowing what he might like to do, I took Pete pig-shooting....
[We also looked at pasture and discussed other stuff, but pigs were the main priority...]

Not only did Pete REALLY warm to my Tikka T3 Hunter (7mm-08), but it seems he is a pretty good shot as well!
Nailed a large boar through the heart as it ran along a creek, and was only visible between 2 fallen trees for maybe 2 seconds?
Roughly 120 metres, which I thought pretty darned respectable.
Pete couldnt stop thanking me; I was getting worried he was going to hug me for a moment!
[It was his first pig, and at roughly 55kgs, it was pretty impressive...]

Next bank-manager visit, I had a shooting mate here, and so Pete spent a morning trying out a T3 in .260 & Macmillan stock, as well as a Ruger Precision Rifle in .223.
They were gone for over 3 hours, did a lot of pokking, and Pete had a ball...

His visit in Jan, and Pete and I went looking for hot pork again, and this time around, he tried out the Ruger Precision Rifle in .308, and was quite taken with it. He nailed another large pig; much the same sort of distance, and much the same result.
Pete was all smiles by the time we got back to the house...

In March, Pete brought out the State and National Agri-Business mangers for his bank, to introduce them.
Not knowing their thoughts on firearms, I didnt take them out for a hunt.
It turns out the national manager would have killed to go for a shoot, and is very keen to return again for some Hot Pork investigations.
I have NO idea what the senior people in that bank would think of this, but I do know the Agri-Business people in that bank, are people that I can warm to...

[marksman]

real people and real life

[Angel]

real people and real life

Exactly...