20th Election loss. Liberals finished?

The Liberals loss in Victoria was the twentieth loss for Coalition parties, in State/Territory elections, since 1996. It is clear that State Coalitions have been “on the nose”, with many believing their decline can be traced back directly to the 1996 anti-gun laws.

Victorian Elections: Success for Gun Owners!

Good news out of the election for the Combined Firearms Council of Victoria.Some of you might think that shooters didn’t do all that well out of the election. In fact we’ve done very well.

Fishing Vs Shooters Parties

Shooters Party MP Robert Brown is chasing the fishing vote. Just about every newsletter he issues now mentions fishing. However, he is quite a latecomer. There is already a Fishing Party and it does not think much of the idea of another party pinching its votes.

This is what the Fishing Party’s Chairman Bob Smith had to say about who to vote for in the NSW election in March:

Labor’s hunting policy in Victoria

Labor has been re-elected in Victoria with a policy on hunting that is relatively good by Australian standards. It is certainly far better than the Labor government’s policy in NSW.

It even contains implied criticism of the former Liberal government for introducing restrictive gun laws, referring to John Howard’s “I hate guns” imposition. However, it does not promise to do anything about those restrictions.

To read the policy, click here.  Victorian ALP hunting and 4WD policy

Nationals and Shooters Party snipe at each other

The Shooters Party and National Party in NSW have been taking pot-shots at each other as a result of comments by Nationals leader Andrew Stoner about the safety of hunting in state forests.
The following exchange of emails makes interesting reading. Also interesting is the anti-Liberal/National comment by Robert Borsak which he makes in the context of Labor’s hunting policy in Victoria.  Borsak is Vice-Chairman of the Shooters Party. 

State Libs/Nats in decline after Gun Laws.

Much has been written regarding the parlous state of Coalition Parties in the States and Territories. It is clear that State Coalitions have been “on the nose” since 1996.

When John Howard forced the States to accept his ill-conceived gun bans, he said, “I know many Australians will not agree with these laws, but you can show your contempt at the ballot box.” That was following the Australian Police Ministers Conference in Canberra on May 10th 1996. Since none of those Police Ministers are now in Government, is it time to demand that the “National Firearms Agreement” be overturned?

John Howard’s “annus horribilus”…

The year of 2006 will possibly go down as the worst yet for Australian Prime Minister John Howard, as he comes under inceasing pressure, both from within his party and from media pundits, to review and adjust many of his long-held beliefs.

Buy a gun day

The Coalition of Law Abiding Sporting Shooters has issued a press release declaring 18 November “National Buy A Gun Day”.

The national media has picked it up with enthusiasm. The President of CLASS, Peter Whelan, has done numerous interviews for newspapers, radio and television. Media blogs have also been humming.

The idea has also attracted the ire of the anti-gun fanatics. Roland Browne, that notorious hater of inanimate objects, has been interviewed almost as often as Whelan.

For a sample of what’s been happening click here.

Whelan apparently offered the idea to the SSAA several times but got no interest.

Unconstitutional funding

The Shooters Party in NSW is aiming to secure a second seat in the Upper House of State parliament in the election on 24 March 2007. The party’s candidate is Roy Smith, Executive Director of SSAA (NSW) and former National Secretary.

Shooters Party NSW Election Policies

A Shooters Party brochure in support of Roy Smith’s NSW election campaign is currently being circulated. It includes a dot point list of policies.

Although few shooters would quarrel with what is there, what is not there is perhaps more significant.