Day 22 of Gun Control Australia’s “Exploit Las Vegas” campaign has produced this gem trying to attack government funding for shooting sports.
From the SMH:
For the tiny Barrook Field and Game Sporting Clays Association it was $9625 to spruce up the canteen. The Boorowa Gun Club took $10,000 to upgrade pathways and install a water tank. The Hornsby RSL Rifle Club got $9787 to extend a deck and pergola, install a disabled toilet and “incorporate a purpose built rifle cleaning structure”.
While other community groups and sporting associations fight an endless fundraising battle, NSW gun and shooting clubs are receiving $600,000 a year in funding under the so-called Safe Shooting Scheme, introduced by the Carr government two decades ago.
In the financial year ending in 2016, 65 shooting clubs across the state received a total of $599,955 in grants.
The scheme was started after the NSW government agreed to introduce the tough gun laws that John Howard negotiated across the country after the Port Arthur massacre. Back then it was explained that the grants were needed so the clubs could adhere to tough new safety laws.
As usual, Fairfax’s favourite pseudo-firearms journo Nick O’Malley provided no evidence of what firearm laws have been “watered down”, nor get a pro-gun counter argument to balance his article out. Nor does he provide a source for the claim Lee is making regarding finances.
The Safe Shooting Program is bound by rules as to what any money from the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation can be given out for. A brief glance shows you that it is mainly geared towards rural ranges and minor services. Also, when you actually look at the figures for 2015-2016 Sport Development Grants from the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation only one shooting club received a grant from the NSW Government, that being the NSW Clay Target Association receiving $40,000 to develop pathways into the sport.
Furthermore, why would anyone oppose the promotion and education of safe handling of firearms, particularly after the daily screeching from GCA and the Greens about supposedly how unsafe firearms are?
The government money that shooting receives in this country pales in comparison to that of other sports, which will likely get smaller with several Olympic shooting events cut for the upcoming Tokyo and Paris games. The NSW government gave out $40 million to the NRL for centres of excellence just last year as well as tipping $2 million into grassroots rugby in 2014. It is also handing out a cool $1.6 billion for stadium upgrades – where is the equivalent money for range upgrades or for hunting clubs? You can see the absurdity and agenda of Lee’s claim laid bare.
“Endless fundraising battle” indeed. Come talk to the shooting sports about their so called “rivers of gold”, Nick.
Lee’s stance just degenerates into one of hypocrisy when you note that Gun Control Australia, notably Lee’s colleague Roland Browne, point blank refused to answer questions about it’s membership and funding at the Senate Inquiry in 2015:
Do as we say, not as we do.
Further, recent revelations have found links from George Soros’ Open Society to the EU Firearms Directive that was controversially passed in the EU Parliament last year, an organisation with a recently announced spend of $18 billion. George Soros also just so happened to be the personal patron of none other than the infamous Rebecca Peters, and shovelled a ton of money her way when she was at IANSA and also
Sam Lee clutching at straws yet again. Can’t wait to see what her next outrage will be.
you continue to give oxygen to these lying mongrels by not exposing the total BS of the Vegas incident…
more than enough evidence is now available to show that the official story is garbage….