As a SSAA member, you are part of the country’s biggest voice on firearms issues and we work hard to make sure our members are represented at State and Federal Government level.
However, sometimes your individual voice has a lot more impact than our collective one and you might see us ask for your support in writing a submission to a government department or to your local MP.
That’s because the impact of, for instance, a proposed legislation on an individual is what an opposing politician can use to argue against it.
If your MP has a bunch of letters from people in his electorate wanting him or her to take action that means they have a mandate. You are empowering them to act on your behalf.
Anti-gun groups have been very good at encouraging people to be proactive in this way which is why there always seems to be a disproportionate number of people calling for more restrictive gun laws.
You may see evidence of this activity in your local paper, especially if you live in a regional area. Small groups with a big voice will often flood the Letters to the Editor pages with their views.
While these small groups all share the same agenda and are often affiliated in some way, because they have a lot of different voices, they get more coverage.
A publication will become mindful of running letters from the same person, but they are happy to run letters on the same issue if they come from different people.
You can do the same thing because your views are just as valid as anyone else’s.
Again, it is the individual voice that carries a lot of weight in this scenario and we encourage you to write a response whenever you feel misrepresented or marginalised by someone else’s published view.
We cannot write letters for you because the exact same letter from a bunch of different people will be ignored. Instead, you should write a letter in your own words, expressing your views on the issue.
It is also hoped that when we raise issues affecting us as shooters, that you would be inspired to make your feelings known to those in the positions of power who can make the changes. We do our bit as the advocates, but there is power in your voice well.
You can find tips on how to write to politicians and the media on the SSAA National website. ssaa.org.au/members/member-action
