– Mark Twain
“To Stand Still Is to Fall Behind”
That’s why we don’t like to stand still…
Be clear: the political attacks on us will continue if we let them
AS A SHOOTER, you will be painfully aware we are not safe from political attacks.
Our history is littered with them.
It cuts deeper: its about the lack of support or positive narrative by our political leaders. It’s about the lack of care or regard about the future of what we do.
Some of you will remember the big marches in the 1980s. Others will remember the bans and buybacks of 1996 and that John Howard came back for a second bite in 2002 when he decided to impose new restrictions on handguns.
Even if you weren’t around for these, you know what it means to be discriminated against because you are a shooter.
.. and our problems aren’t just about those things.
If our political leaders respected us, we wouldn’t be seeing knee-jerk changes to gun laws, buybacks, or a refusal to engage with us.
The past predicts the future
In the last few years alone, we’ve had even more restrictions imposed on us state by state. New safe requirements in Victoria, firearm prohibition orders in NSW and bowhunting bans in SA and just some.
Even the NT hasn’t been immune from this, as you will see in our upcoming podcast series where a semi-colon has crippled appeal rights – and the government is doing nothing about it.
Now shooters in WA are facing a rewrite of their laws with more pain to come, and it’s not too much of a stretch to see them spread to other states.
Duck hunters in Victoria are the latest to be caught in this vicious political cycle which just keeps going on, and on and on.
The politics of fear
Don’t get us wrong – action is good. We need more of it. Without action, we are dead – but is writing letters or protesting when governments make announcements to hurt us enough?
If we wait for ‘the right time’ to take action, then what Mark Twain said remains true.
That is not to criticise taking action. Letter writing and protesting ARE good and necessary things to do, but we need to act before problems arise.
It’s fear that motivates politicians
That’s because the problems we have go deeper than fighting government on the odd issue here and there.
Going after gunowners has become a sport for politicians who are keen to make announcements to get the attention they want.
Ambushing us and avoiding consultation are ways they try to get away with it.
That’s what Paul Papalia is doing in WA – and shows why we need to change how politicians relate to us – and why they need to fear us at the ballot box.
Action is good. Initiative is better.
FOR THOSE OF YOU who might find the talk of creating ‘political fear’ a bit too blunt or direct, just speak with any shooter who has been involved in politics for a while.
They’ll confirm that this is how the game must be played. That’s because votes is the only currency that career politicians understand.
That’s because they owe their existence as an MP to their party that helped them get their job. – which is an allegiance that is greater than their allegiance to their voters
Politics Reloaded was formed by shooters who live and breathe this, and have the political skills to manage it. It was created by the same founding director who created the National Shooting Council which achieved so much in a short time.
That includes fighting legal cases to help shooters with licences and reclassifications and exposing bad treatment in national papers and on TV and changing votes when it matters.
It’s about being pro-active.
WE KNOW the new brand will take some getting used to, but it’s the next logical step up for us.
That’s because you’ll not only see the same style of articles and level of representation as before, but we’ve got some new initiatives that will get even more news to you.
We’ll do the heavy lifting: you just need to follow what we put out.
Own a stake in our future
The good news is that we’ll do the work that needs to be done. That’s because we’re shooters who know how political fights need to be fought – and are dedicated to getting the changes we need.
That’s why its important to back what we do.
What’s in it for you?
Back us, and you’ll find we’ll do the things that you’ve always wanted shooting organisations to do. We’ll:
- KEEP YOU UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST: We’ll bring you updates on at least a weekly basis on the news affecting your sport.
- FAST ACCESSS TO OUR PODCAST: We’re about to start our podcast series, which will become weekly episodes from early 2024. We’ll interview the people who can help us bring about the change we need, and cover the topics that matter the most.
- BRING YOU THE NEWS BY EMAIL: We’ll also keep up our regular feed of informative, considered and balanced coverage of the topics that we are known for.
- HELP MORE AND MORE SHOOTERS: We’ll spread what you see and hear from us to as many shooters as possible which will help make sure. Remember: there’s strength in numbers!
PLUS
- FREE HELP WITH YOUR LICENCE PROBLEM: Being a member will entitle you to unlimited advice if you run into a problem with your licence.
We aren’t lawyers and can’t give you legal advice and can’t promise you the result you might be after.
However we’ve helped MANY shooters work fix their problems, with most getting their licence back.
All for just $30 a year!
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