Gun News Australia: the latest news for Aussie shooters

INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISE: The one key thing the WA review committee didn’t seek

IN THIS EPISODE, we look at the failure of the WA Government to pay attention to international ‘best practice’ when it comes to the target shooting sports. 
The International Shooting Sports Federation, or ISSF, is made up of 149 countries and looks after the training, competition, safety and other aspects of shooting right through to the Olympics and World Cups. 
It is represented here by Shooting Australia– which didn’t even get an invitation to explain how the shooting sports work at the recent WA hearings on the new Firearms Act. 
It was the elephant in the room that the committee did not see - andII would be like failing to invite the Australian Medical Association to hearings about proper medical practices, or the International Pilots Association to hearings about aviation safety.
Even the chair of the committee seemed oblivious to how the sports are organised - until she heard from Murray Bow from the Western Australian Shooting Association.
WE SPEAK with Murray about the bungling of the laws and how they affect shooters needing to enter WA and training shooters within clubs.
Plus we look at the key issue of licensing junior shooters, in the face of calls by anti-gun groups to have the minimum age raised to 18. 
We delve into why this was an unrealistic call from narcissistically obsessed (and self-appointed) ‘community safety’ representatives whose only exposure to firearms is what they see on TV, rather than looking at what happens in the other 148 ISSF countries.
Or how Aussie heroes like Russell Mark and Dan Repacholi got to the international stage from their start as juniors.
Or why a WA Police and Community Youth Club had to end its air rifle program! 
We know there are many shooters who are not interested in ISSF, however the advice put forward by Murray would work to benefit every shooter, club and discipline – not just those heading to the Olympics.
This is an opportunity for the committee to steer the government towards correcting the situation and a more workable framework.  We can’t see them making wholesale changes to the framework – but a good step forward would be to mandate a better consultation framework that was led by ISSF interests, rather than local squeaky wheels such as SSAA. 
Disallowing the regulations would at least partially hit that important “reset” button.
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‘SOVEREIGN CITIZEN’ RAIDS: WA Police’s dim view of the right to write letters

THE RECENT RAIDS in Western Australia on ‘sovereign citizens’ has way more to it than meets the eye.
The seizures of over 100 firearms are based on the persons ‘views, opinions and attitudes’ rather than anything they did.   
They were accused by police that doing these things demonstrated “a disregard for the law” and  ‘Sovereign Citizen ideologies’.    
Yet at least two people we spoke with said they don’t regard themselves as ‘sovereign citizens’ and that they don’t even know what ‘sovereign ideologies’ are.  
One had simply written to government agencies, while the other had attended a lawfully held rally.
Things that we thought were democratic rights.
IN THIS EPISODE, we look at why this is stuff straight out of North Korea – and something WA Police said will be rolled out in other states.
A CLASS ACTION is being considered by one of the individuals who was targetted, and she is inviting people to contact her through us.   
If you’ve been affected and want to find out join the action, send us your seizure letter and contact info to editor@politicsreloaded.com before 20 October. If you know someone affected by this, make sure you send a link to this video to them.
We also point to the National Gun Conference where top politicians agreed there was a need to get police out of policy.
For more information, watch our summary at – 2024 National Gun Conference by clicking here. (23 min)
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“IT’S NOT AN ISSUE” – WAPol dismisses shooters' concerns at the Firearms Act review

WE COVER the final two sessions of the WA Parliamentary hearing on the WA Firearms Act review – with each producing unexpected surprises.
The session of representatives for sport shooting groups, in our opinion, ended descended into a farce when SSAA WA representative went off track on unrelated matters, wasting valuable time in the one-hour slot shooting groups were given.   We were unimpressed.
This left representatives from the Western Australian Shooting Association (WASA) and Shooters Union Australia (SUA) having to represent the interests of shooters, which they did very well.
This was followed by the final hearing with WAPol. 
OUR TAKE on what WAPol said was that they had no interest in the concerns of shooters, felt that the review of the Firearms Act was unnecessary, and had no idea of how the shooting sports work.
One Acting Inspector even said that the failure to recognise interstate licences – which is a cornerstone requirement of the National Firearms Agreement – was “not an issue”.
There was nothing that WAPol said that gives us confidence that they understand what the shooting sports need – and we’re not sure the Chair of the committee does either. 
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WA GUN LAW REVIEW: Why mental health progress has been 'set back by years' … and why semi-autos need to come back

THE ROMANTICISATION of living in rural areas has led to the obscene situation where people and lawmakers living in Perth have even questioned why pastoralists even need firearms.  
It’s the deep divide between those who use firearms and understand the issues – and those who don't, but are quick to pass judgement on others.
BRON CHRISTENSEN is the CEO of the Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen's Association.  She talks with us about the consultation process on the new laws led by WA Police that significantly understated what the new laws would mean for affected communities.
She gives the example of how the checks were touted to be no more difficult than getting a drivers licence and could be done through telehealth services – when that is not the case. 
In fact Bron says how the new laws have set progress to supporting mental health back by many years.
She also explains why pastoralists need access to semi-automatic and rapid firearms to be able to do their jobs properly – and why minor offences are now being dredged up to stop otherwise perfectly decent people from being able to earn a living.
You can watch Bron’s appearance before the parliamentary committee by clicking here.
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WA PARLIAMENTARY FIREARMS ACT REVIEW: We cover what the hearings heard

UPDATE: Before we start on the hearings, we have just FILED AN APPEAL with the Australian Review Tribunal in relation to our appeal on the federal government’s refusal to reveal the outcomes of discussions our firearm registries have been having on firearm policies.
Thank you very much to those of you who donated to the fight – but we still need more to be able to continue the fight with our barrister.  If you’d like to support the work, then here is the donation link: https://politicsreloaded.com/donate/
IN THIS EPISODE, we look at the hearings held by the West Australian Parliament on its review on that state’s shambolic new Firearms Act.
We cover the hearings by the various groups including those involved in community safety, conservation, health issues, traditional owners, and shooting interests across farmers and shooting organisations. 
One thing which stood out for us is that Shooting Australia (not to be confused with SSAA) was not invited to the hearings despite the fact that they are the organisation that sends our target shooting teams to the Olympics.
The only session yet to come is the one for WA Police who will have a lot of questions put to them on the challenges now facing WA shooters.
We take you through what each of these groups said, including the WA Mental Health Commission which refused to acknowledge the legitimate use of firearms.  We’ll cover the hearings involving traditional owners and the medical community said that 80% of doctors will now not support the mental health process. 
We even heard evidence that former Police Minister, Paul Papalia, told a group that ‘getting a shooting licence would be just like getting a drivers licence’.
One of the groups even argued for the return of semi automatic firearms.
We’ll be covering some of these hearings in more detail later on, which is why it pays to subscribe to this channel. That way you’re guaranteed of not missing those episodes when they come out – and it’s entirely free.
You can watch the hearing sessions by clicking here.
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FEDERAL LEGAL BATTLE STARTS: We're filing a lawsuit to uncover sneaky new gun policies

OUR FIGHT to expose what the various state and territorial registries have in store for us has taken a huge step – with our intention to FILE PROCEEDINGS with the Federal Administrative Review Tribunal.
The proceedings will aim to overturn the refusal by the federal government to disclose what the registries have been working on through the Firearms and Working Policy Working Group (FWPWG).
Our argument is that the federal government cannot rely on FOI exemptions because they do not administer the nation’s gun laws, other than at the border and on Commonwealth property.
The fact is the government is simply trying to hide this information from us because disclosing what crazy new policies they have in mind would be embarrassing for them to have to defend in the court of public opinion.
The costs of this fight start with the filing fee of well over $1k plus the specialist lawyer we need to hire to run the case.  
YOUR DONATION will help us cover the cost of doing this. To donate, simply go to our donation page here.
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VIC GUN LAW UPDATE: What does the Porepunkah shooting mean for licensed shooters?

WE LOOK AT what, if anything, the Porepunkah shootings may mean for gun laws in Victoria – and the disturbing negativity that some have towards law enforcement.
PLUS we look at the freezing of Lady Luxury’s GoFundMe campaign – and why she is apparently creating history … because ‘she’s a journalist’ …
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“UN-AUSTRALIAN”: Queensland’s proposed gun club ID rules

A CRAZY proposal by the Queensland Government to introduce late-night club ID scanners to gun clubs is the first real nugget of our Freedom-of-Information request into the whacky inner workings of the national Firearms and Weapons Policy Working Group – or FWPWG.
The idea, floated by Queensland Police, would see the technology used to vet non-licensed individuals who want to visit shooting ranges – when it was designed to be used to deal with drug and alcohol problems in licensed venues that operate past midnight.
It means that juniors, who often can’t get government issued ID, will need to be refused entry.
Putting the significant cost of the scanners aside, there are also ongoing software licensing costs and the fact that they can only be operated by licensed crowd controllers.  One Queensland based pub put the cost of managing the scanners to their business as $80,000 a year.
Another described it as “stupid” and “un-Australian”.
This is a proposal that is clearly the brainchild of someone looking for a promotion rather than trying to do the right thing.
This is the FIRST nugget of the FOI which will draw legal challenges which will cost a significant amount to fund. 
That’s why it’s CRITICAL that shooters who want to see these proposals exposed and beaten, need to support Politics Reloaded – which you can do by:
Joining as a member by clicking here or by
Supporting us through Patreon by clicking here. 
We will also be setting up a GoFundMe campaign to fund the challenges when they are filed.
In the meantime, we hope Queensland based shooting organisations can use this exclusive reveal to help them fight against a policy environment that is clearly following WA as close as it can.
SEE OUR ARTICLE on this matter by clicking here.
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WHITBY’S BLATANT LIE: Plus the gun rally success & why Labor might need to give shooters “a few carrots”

THE WA GUN RALLY may not have gotten the disallowance motion over the line, but it bear in mind it fell only two votes short.
We look at the success of the rally, and why the fight for better laws for WA shooters is far from over.
You can watch the ABC footage of the rally on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOLRXcNHKWA
The huge amount of signatures on recent petitions, the holding of two gun rallies in six months and the opportunity to belt anti-gun MPs between now and the next state election, is why political fights are necessary.
In fact, we think Labor is on the verge of having to give shooters “a few carrots” to try to temper the work that is going on.
The fight that we’ve been engaging in has set a new benchmark that we want shooting organisations in other states and territories need to follow whenever they face new restrictions.
THIS IS THE REASON why Politics Reloaded was formed, and why we remain intent on having a National Gun Conference to help build a better understanding of what can be done across the entire shooting community.
PLUS, we look at what Texan Kate seems to have been spending her money on, why her claims of ‘legal action’ remain furphies – and her new crown as ‘Lady Luxury’.   With a bit of Motley Crue tossed in for good measure.
If you donated to her fundraiser, you may still be able to get a refund by going to the GoFundme site.
… and we take a quick look at the looming demise of the National Shooting Council as it racks up more ASIC bills yet again.
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SSAA KNIFES WA GUN RALLY: ... and the sneaky anti-rally rumour

WE EXPOSE how key elements of the SSAA WA have ‘crossed the line’ by opposing the second pro-gun rally being held on August 14 to fight against that state’s firearm laws. 
The shocking behaviour follows the SSAA WA’s opposition to the first rally held in February in the lead up to the WA State Election to protest against the new laws.
We have been told that senior SSAA WA people are telling customers not to attend the rally, because it supports a “disallowance motion” in parliament that would overturn the new regulations. 
We understand they are being told this would result in there being no laws, which force police to seize ALL GUNS AND AMMO.
** The claim by those people is FALSE ** 
IF SUCCESSFUL, the disallowance motion would force result in the old regulations being returned, which would force the government to the negotiation table to come up with a better solution.
Let’s be clear  - No parliamentary party would ever support there being no gun laws!
WA shooters need the disallowance motion to succeed.
IT IS IMPORTANT that shooters in WA attend the rally, being held on the steps of Parliament at 11am on Thursday 14 February, and show their support to tank the new firearm regulations.
WE ALSO have a SPECIAL OFFER for SSAA WA members.  If you’re a member and attend the rally wearing your SSAA shirts and caps to show your support, email us at editor@politicsreloaded.com and we’ll give you a YEAR’S MEMBERSHIP for free. 
Either way, it’s critical that if you’re a member of SSAA WA, that you get rid of your president, Paul Fitzgerald.  In our view, Fitzgerald has consistently worked against important pro-gun initiatives and shown more support for the WA Government than for the shooting community. 
Show this video to your SSAA WA club executive (send them a link so they can watch it) – and ask them to work with other clubs to move an urgent motion to get rid of him.
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