Drizzt
Member
Perth Sunday Times
February 2, 2003, Sunday
LENGTH: 250 words
HEADLINE: Minister aims to help shooters tote big guns
BYLINE: PAUL LAMPATHAKIS
BODY:
POLICE Minister Michelle Roberts is to target Canberra for sporting shooters.
Mrs Roberts will go to the Federal Government to plead the case of shooters who want to be allowed to continue using hand guns of .38 calibre and above for high-level category sports events. About 300 recreational shooters marched to the minister's office yesterday to seek her support on the issue.
Members of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia's WA branch say the Federal Government has left the future of their sport in doubt.
Association vice-president Paul Peake said the Council of Australian Governments decided last December to restrict the use of hand guns of .38 calibre or above, except for a limited number of accredited events that had yet to be identified.
This followed a Monash University incident last October in which two people were shot dead by a licensed shooter.
A spokesman for Mrs Roberts said Prime Minister John Howard had previously given a commitment that people using guns for legitimate purposes and high-level sporting events would not be penalised.
He said Mrs Roberts would take up the cause of the sports shooters to ensure Mr Howard kept that commitment.
Mr Peake said the Monash incident was the result of Victoria's lax gun licensing system at the time.
The Federal Government's peak criminology authority, the Australian Institute of Criminology, believed criminals were the group least likely to be affected by further firearm restrictions.
February 2, 2003, Sunday
LENGTH: 250 words
HEADLINE: Minister aims to help shooters tote big guns
BYLINE: PAUL LAMPATHAKIS
BODY:
POLICE Minister Michelle Roberts is to target Canberra for sporting shooters.
Mrs Roberts will go to the Federal Government to plead the case of shooters who want to be allowed to continue using hand guns of .38 calibre and above for high-level category sports events. About 300 recreational shooters marched to the minister's office yesterday to seek her support on the issue.
Members of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia's WA branch say the Federal Government has left the future of their sport in doubt.
Association vice-president Paul Peake said the Council of Australian Governments decided last December to restrict the use of hand guns of .38 calibre or above, except for a limited number of accredited events that had yet to be identified.
This followed a Monash University incident last October in which two people were shot dead by a licensed shooter.
A spokesman for Mrs Roberts said Prime Minister John Howard had previously given a commitment that people using guns for legitimate purposes and high-level sporting events would not be penalised.
He said Mrs Roberts would take up the cause of the sports shooters to ensure Mr Howard kept that commitment.
Mr Peake said the Monash incident was the result of Victoria's lax gun licensing system at the time.
The Federal Government's peak criminology authority, the Australian Institute of Criminology, believed criminals were the group least likely to be affected by further firearm restrictions.