With the New South Wales state election coming up on March 23rd, parties from all sides of politics have been putting out the call for volunteers to assist with their campaigns. From doorknocking, meet and greets at shopping centres, fundraising, and manning polling booths, there is no end to the demand for manpower in the lead up to Election day. And Firearm Friendly parties are no exception.
It’s no secret that those parties who look unfavourably upon firearm ownership have an almost fanatical following, and their call for volunteers will rarely go unheeded. Universities seem to be hotbeds of leftist recruitment and between youthful passion and energy, there is usually a fair crowd for them to call upon. Meanwhile the major parties with their extensive membership seem to always have a volunteer army (so to speak) ready to go.
But what about the minor parties who rather than seeking to impose more emotive and ignorant policy upon firearm owners would rather see common sense and evidence brought to the table? What about parties that will fight FOR firearm owners, hunters, and outdoor enthusiasts in general?
Well, that’s where YOU come in. Volunteering for a firearm friendly political party has many benefits which are sometimes overlooked. From the obvious to the abstract, some of these reasons will be explained.
The most obvious and immediate benefit to volunteering with a Firearm Friendly party is that there is improved chance of having that parties candidate or candidates elected. That party may not be able to form Government, but they may be able to hold the balance of power, table legislation that is favourable to LAFO’s, or at the very least provide a voice of reason in Parliament. There is also the added bonus that for every vote earned by a firearm friendly party, it is one less for those who would seek to see our sport and culture vanish which can only be a good thing.
It is a
common assertion by anti hunting and anti gun groups that “most Australians…”
are against lawful firearm ownership and hunting. This assertion is commonly given
the appearance of validation by not having an adequate response. The truth is
that most Australians only care about these issues when presented with an
emotive argument and an appeal to their need to virtue signal in the face of
implied complicity and guilt.
This is not entirely the fault of LAFO’s, their representative organisations, and
political parties. Being given an adequate opportunity to fairly and factually
respond in the mainstream media isn’t all that common. But we do let ourselves
down in that we do not make the same amount of noise as those who make these
assertions. We rarely protest, we haven’t plastered cities with propaganda, and
we don’t put ourselves and our argument in front of the public as often as we should.
Volunteering gives us an opportunity to correct this.
One of the great things about volunteering for a political party is that you will get to meet many like minded people. If you are willing to get out there and represent a firearm friendly political party, it is a fairly safe bet that you will come across many other firearm owners. And there is one thing firearm owners love nearly as much as firearms: Talking about firearms and sharing hunting stories! There is a wealth of information out there on everything from which gunshop has that ammo you have been looking for to where Trophy heads have been taken, and everything in between. Play your cards right and you might even find a new hunting property or two (no promises though!). The opportunities to network within the shooting community are endless when you volunteer with a firearm friendly party! Sure, you will definitely meet a few of the other side too, but their looks of confusion when you counter their emotive argument with fact makes it worthwhile.
Volunteering isn’t always going to be beer and skittles though. There will be times when it will be exhausting, when you wonder why you bother. Times when some extremist anti goes full potato frothy and you cop the spray. Times when despite all efforts, your candidate doesn’t win. But it’s still worth it because at the end of the day you can say “I tried”. You could have stayed home, gone to the range, or gone hunting. But in an effort to make sure that your sport and culture are protected from the stroke of an idiots pen, you went out to make a difference. Maybe you changed a mind or two, or met some great people and had a few good yarns. Even better, maybe your Candidate wins the seat! That won’t have happened without the help of their volunteers, from the doorknockers and cold callers, to the people who hand out the How to Vote cards and Scrutineers. The sense of having achieved something and helped make a difference would be all the sweeter then!
No doubt there are many more reasons to volunteer with a firearm friendly party that haven’t been discussed here, but the most fundamental reason of all to volunteer is simply that if you want to see change in our firearm laws to something more fair and sensible yet safe and balanced, YOU need to be a part of that changing force. You can’t assume that someone else will do it for you. Our laws won’t change themselves, and there are most certainly those who will continue to push to change them for the worse.
So sign up with your Firearm Friendly Political party, or even an independent if that is your only option, and get out there and make a difference.
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