Voting is a personal thing. It’s no-one else’s business as to which way you go. … but, when it comes to voting for the future of firearm ownership,
there are some things you should be aware of.
Labor; on the nose
MOST STATES & TERRITORIES have Labor governments.
That’s why it’s hardly a surprise to hear that most of our attention on bad gun laws and policies is focused on Labor.
After all, Labor is the party that brought in the draconian new gun laws in WA. They also brought in a new policy of banning guns because of “opportunity” in Victoria.
They wanted to expand “disqualifying offences” for obtaining licences in Qld, until that was famously stopped by the Shooters Union Australia.
Then there’s the coalition
Of course, the Liberals and Nationals don’t exactly have a great record either.
Speak with any shooter old enough to remember ’96, and you’ll find out just how deeply that continues to burn in the backs of our minds.
There’s no question about it: the Libs and the Nats sold us down the river, when we thought they held good conservative values.
However that does not mean we should gravitate to Labor.
Labor has done more than its fair share of treachery, particularly in recent years. They show no signs of changing that.
It means both sides are equally bad on guns – and the Nats have a lot of rebuilding to do if they want to earn our trust.
Liberals are getting worse …
EVEN putting 96 aside, the Libs of 2024 are an weak lot.
In WA, they even voted with Labor on the gun laws. In Victoria, SA and NSW, we are yet to come up with any policies that help shooters. Nor in Queensland, where voters go to the polls in October.
Some describe the Liberals a “Labor lite”. We agree, because it is hard to see how the modern Liberals are different.
James Newbury MP
Take James Newbury, for example. Newbury is the Liberal member for the blue-ribbon Victorian seat of Brighton.
He used his inaugural speech to call for a ban on duck hunting, before changing his tune, and then changing it back again.
He definitely has to go – but the good news is that his seat is marginal.
Importantly, the Liberals in most states and territories seem to no longer hold traditional conservative values.
This denies the electorate the ability to choose between parties that offer different values.
The Country Liberal Party in NT (a hybrid of the Libs & Nats) recently got elected with a good pro-gun policy, so we’ll give them space to put them into place. However we’re struggling to find any other Liberal Party branch worth backing.
The Nationals are a better option – but WA seems to be the only place where they are standing up for firearm owners (shooters & collectors).
However even that seems to be limited: they curiously decided against stepping up to the national stage at the recent National Gun Conference.
We blame Shane Love for that.
Putting the majors last
Unfortunately – and as we all know – votes are only valid if the ballot papers are correctly filled out. For lower houses, that means numbering all the boxes sequentially.
This means that even if you have pro-gun parties to vote for, you still have to choose Labor over Liberal / National Party or vice versa on the ballot ticket. Putting the Greens last, of course.
Whatever you do, we strongly suggest you do NOT vote informal. That’s because every vote you abandon gives our enemies such as the Greens what they want.
Simply put, failing to have your vote counted (or “voting for neither”) gives our enemies another opportunity to have your guns taken off you.
Besides, there are some major party candidates who will stand up for shooters and collectors. If you find someone who fits that bill, then keep them in mind when you vote.
It’s not about the party, but about politics
We could go on about what happened in ’96 but if we really want to have change for the better, then we need to talk about what we should be doing at the next election.
To us, our fight isn’t about Labor v Coalition. It’s about applying political pressure to both sides.
That’s because neither side is there for us: they only care about winning seats because putting votes ahead of good policy is how they secure their employment on the public purse – and power. Nothing else matters to them.
For us, the issue is not who to vote for, but what to vote for. That’s why we’re one issue voters.
We’ll recommend voting for any party that will do us good – and against any party that wants to take our guns off us. That’s regardless of whether we are talking about Labor or Liberal.
So, who do we vote for?
Discounting both sides paints a bleak picture. However, that is no reason to ‘give up’. Instead, there is much for us to gain if we make the right choices. It’s just a matter of ‘working with what you have’.
As you know, there are minor pro-gun parties who are worth voting for. These include One Nation, Katters Australian Party, Liberal Democrats and a couple of others – but they don’t run in every seat. So what then?
Not into policies? It’s time to tune in
If you’re not really into politics, then knowing which way to go can be confusing. That’s why people simply don’t bother thinking about it and just want to get their vote over and done with without thinking about what the outcome could be.
However politics matters a lot to the future of shooting & collecting. We’re constantly under attack, and it’s clear that left unchallenged, this trend will continue. That’s why it’s worth paying attention, so you can do your bit at elections by making the right choice.
The easiest way to get that information is to join our email list by clicking here. That way you’ll get our articles – and podcasts – where we’ll cover every election.
Then it’s up to you to decide what to do – but the information we provide will hopefully help you with that.
Why 15 minutes of your time can matter
EVEN BEFORE your state / territory election, it’s always worth finding out what your local member of parliament thinks – and educating them a little.
This means taking the time to go to, speak with, or even email, your local MP well before the election to let them know you’re a shooter and that it’s an issue you’re willing to vote on.
You may not know who the other candidates are likely to be until much closer to the election, but they’re worth canvassing too.
I’m now a one-issue voter (on firearms) because of the way we’ve been treated – and continue to be treated. Yes, I care about the economy, defence and so on. However, my priority is to vote against any government that wants to do us harm – regardless of their other policies.
That’s because if we don’t make a political stand, shooting will be allowed to fade away because of other political agendas.
You might think you are just one voice – but you aren’t. There are hundreds of thousands of other firearm owners thinking the same thing. That’s why it’s important to stand up – and to tell other owners you know to do the same.
See a local candidate
IF YOU HAPPEN TO SEE a candidate handing out political leaflets at the local shopping centre, railway station or wherever, then just grab them for five minutes.
You will not convert them into becoming shooters or collectors, but that’s not what you’re trying to do. What you’re trying to do is make them understand this is important enough for you to speak with them – and why you will vote that way.
If the party they represent hears this enough times, then they’ll do the maths: more votes means they’ve got a better chance of winning.
To the major parties, winning elections isn’t about doing good for the community. It’s about winning taxpayer funded jobs for their own people.
But I’ve always voted this way…
Again, voting is personal. It’s entirely your choice.
However that choice should reflect what you want to see going forward – not what may have happened in the past.
We suggest you don’t blindly vote Labor “because your dad did“. Or for the Liberals because “that’s what you did last time”.
Many seats and elections have been decided by a handful of votes and you will be kicking yourself if you voted the wrong way for the wrong reason.
The seat of Bunbury in Qld was last won by an anti-gun Labor candidate in 2020 by just 9 votes. That government went on to propose the “disqualifying offences” mentioned earlier. If just five shooters / collectors who thought their votes didn’t matter, had voted differently, then that may well have stopped this problem from surfacing in the right place.
Don’t settle for mediocrity
IF YOU’RE GENUINELY unsure about which way to vote and have a local MP who shown no support on firearm issues, then we simply suggest you vote against the incumbent (regardless of what side they’re on) – and tell them why you’re doing this. (don’t forget to put the Greens last)
Don’t accept “yes but …”.
Don’t accept patronising statements such as parties saying our laws “aren’t about law abiding firearm owners”. Yes, they are. They are, for the most part, targetting us, not targetting criminals.
Whenever you vote, be clear about your support for your shooting sport or collecting and your intention to vote to protect it – even if it means changing local members of parliament to make that point. Be blunt. Don’t settle for less.
Want more on elections?
We’ll be covering all state, territory & federal elections as they it approach – so don’t forget to hop on our email list by clicking here. Or you can back our work by joining us below.
Why not put this on your club’s noticeboard?
I will vote for whoever gives me that extra bit of freedom to own a gun, buy firecrackers, carry a small pocket knife.I hate being wrapped in cotton wool.
spot on
I am looking forward to your efforts in highlighting the various individuals against firearms in all elections, a huge job to be done and all firearm owners should be extremely appreciative of it.
In the end though, as you have alluded to, if we do not get “smarter” with our vote, then we get what we deserve, simple really.
Can you publish this page as a poster?
This would make it easy to print and put out there for fellow shooters.
Hi Peter
No, it isn’t – but if we make one up on this article, would this be something you could use?
Ta
Neil
I too, am a one-issue voter.
If neither party as a whole is pro-gun, maybe we just need to know who the pro-gun MP’s are so we can vote in enough of them that we do have a political voice.