SSAA Victoria has passed another major milestone, clocking more than 50,000 members in our 75th year.
On 31 July 2026, the Association had 50,320 Victorian members, the first time in our history that membership has passed the 50,000 mark.
It is a significant milestone. But perhaps more importantly, it reflects the sustained growth and increasing professionalism of the Association over the past decade.
On 30 April 2015, SSAA Victoria had 33,452 members. Five years later, on 30 April 2020, that had grown to 40,008.
Today, we have 50,320.
That represents membership growth of more than 50 per cent in just over 11 years, or annualised growth of around 3.7 per cent a year.
Importantly, that growth has substantially outpaced Victoria’s population growth over the same period. SSAA Victoria isn’t simply getting bigger because Victoria is getting bigger. A greater proportion of Victorians are choosing to join their State’s largest shooting organisation.
Growth and professionalism
The past decade has seen SSAA Victoria evolve enormously.
We remain, at our heart, a member-based organisation run for shooters by shooters. Our branches, clubs, ranges, competitions and thousands of volunteers remain fundamental to who we are.
But as the Association has grown, so too has the professionalism required to serve and represent our membership.
We have invested in our ranges, training, communications, governance, advocacy and relationships with government and other stakeholders. We have strengthened our capacity to engage in complex policy debates, communicate directly with members and the wider community, and advocate effectively for recreational shooters and hunters.
We have also increasingly demonstrated that shooting organisations can make a broader contribution to Victoria, whether through conservation, hunter education, firearms safety, our ranges and training programs, or initiatives such as Hunters for the Hungry.
There is a virtuous circle in that growth.
A stronger Association provides greater value to its members. Greater value attracts and retains more members. And a larger membership gives the Association the resources and influence to do even more.
Why 50,000 matters
Membership numbers aren’t just something to put on a chart.
Numbers matter.
When SSAA Victoria speaks to a Minister, an MP, a government department or a political party, we do so on behalf of more than 50,000 Victorians.
That gives our voice weight.
Governments don’t have to agree with us – and sometimes they won’t – but an organisation representing 50,000 members cannot easily be dismissed or ignored.
That strength is particularly important when decisions are being made about firearms laws, hunting, public land access, ranges and the many other issues that directly affect our members.
A large membership also gives us the resources to represent those members properly.
Good advocacy requires expertise. Good communications require people and platforms. Safe, modern shooting facilities require substantial investment. Training requires qualified staff and infrastructure. Research, policy development, legal and technical advice all cost money.
The larger and stronger our membership becomes, the greater our capacity to invest in all of those things.
And size brings something else that can be harder to quantify – vibrancy.
More members mean more people participating in our sport, more competitors, more hunters, more volunteers, more people using our ranges and more people becoming involved in branches and clubs.
It means more new shooters entering the sport and more experienced shooters passing their knowledge on to the next generation.
It means a healthier and more sustainable shooting community.
75 years and still growing
Reaching 50,000 members in our 75th year is particularly fitting.
SSAA Victoria was built by generations of shooters who understood that we are stronger when we organise, participate and speak collectively.
The Association they created has changed enormously over those 75 years, just as Victoria itself has changed.
What hasn’t changed is the fundamental reason for SSAA Victoria’s existence – to represent shooters and strengthen shooting.
More than 50,000 Victorians choose to be part of that.
That is worth celebrating.
But it isn’t a finishing line.
Our challenge is to continue earning the support of those 50,000 members, to keep improving the services and facilities we provide, to keep strengthening our advocacy, and to ensure the Association continues to grow and evolve.
Because every additional member doesn’t just make SSAA Victoria bigger.
They make shooting stronger.
