Yobbo kangaroo shooters that terrorise rural families!"What in a civilized country would it take to convince Australians to stop owning guns and shooting animals?" And we respond with "What civilized country?" In 1996, after the Port Arthur massacre in which 32 innocent people were shot by a gun-toting madman, six hundred and forty thousand guns were compulsorily surrendered, and the exercise, including government compensation money, cost over 500 million Australian dollars, which was raised through a significant nationwide tax increase. But in 2003 there were still 700,000 licensed firearm owners in Australia, or 560,000 more rifles out there in the community than were surrendered in 1996! Most sensible Australians supported the buyback. Unfortunately the control of gun ownership was then handed over to the Sporting Shooters Association. Noone could license a rifle unless they owned a property, and needed a gun for ‘animal control’, or they were a member of the SSA. This very foolish legislation then gave the SSA a compulsory membership base. This turned the SSA into very powerful organisation, with the resources and numbers to influence political decisions relating to hunting and shooting. Potentially with at least 560,000 members, (more than most political Parties!) the SSA also receive funding from the major US gun and ammunition manufacturers, and also funding from the Federal Government by insisting they are a ‘sporting club’ similar to football, basketball, or chess clubs! In fact they have become so powerful that the NSW Government actually set up a Government Game Department in 2005 to ensure shooters had plenty of areas to shoot in. In 2006 they were given permission to shoot with guns, and bows and arrows, in 43 or so NSW State Forests. Their slogan on their website is “shooting for conservation!”
Note the fresh roo poo in this photo. This kangaroo was harmlessly grazing when it was senselessly killed by yobbos. Since then we have had many complaints about shooters, from rural residents who live near or adjacent to State Forests. All we can do is advise them to contact the Police when they have a problem. Generally the Police are pretty good, they have had many of their comrades shot in the line of duty by loonys with guns. Generally they don’t like guns any more than any other sensible person does, but their resources to respond to complaints are scarce too. For a short time after the gun buyback, shooting from roadsides in rural areas decreased markedly. However some rural residents had already taken their own steps to curb rural shooting. One farmer I know bailed up every shooters’ vehicle that came anywhere near his property and told them if he heard a shot he would shoot back at them. Word got around and his area was not subjected to the illegal roadside shooters, who at best are a cowardly bunch anyway. However the situation is very different now, in most areas of rural Australia. The yobbos with their guns are back!
Yobbos with guns are making life an abject misery for many Australians who have bought rural properties to escape the city rat race. We know of four NSW property owners who are at their wits end trying to deal with shooters who deliberately and illegally enter and shoot on their properties, or shoot along their boundaries into their paddocks.
We know of three more in Western Australia and several in Queensland and Victoria. We know there are many more rural residents that are frightened to speak out for fear of retribution. In most cases the shooters shoot kangaroos or wombats, but horses and livestock have also been shot. Note the beer cans in this photo on the right! My daughter died in 1988 aged fifteen. I valued Karmyne’s pony very much, as a constant reminder of a happy, smiling girl who loved animals more than anything else. For some years after she died her pony Cisco lived in comfortable retirement on my property. Then one night he was shot and killed in his paddock by spotlighting ‘sporting’ shooters. I’m not alone, many rural residents have had similar experiences. I also had my letterbox shot to pieces once. As it was constructed of recycled timber and had already died the death of a thousand cuts, they couldn’t kill it, but they did shoot it to pieces. There now appear to be many more guns out there in the rural community than ever before, licensed or not. One of our rural sources has told us that many of the guns that were hidden away from the buyback, have now resurfaced and been sold…without gun licenses! Another informant also tells us that if some yobbo has a police record and can’t get rifle, there are plenty of illegal guns available for sale. And why wouldn’t there be more guns out there anyway? Any loony yobbo can join the Sporting Shooters Association and get a gun license! Australia is one of the most violent places on earth, whether we like to hear that or not. We have guns here for one reason - it makes some or our citizens feel more powerful. Once one understands this primary motive, all the ridiculous assertions about constitutional rights, self-defence, pre-emptive defence, evening the odds, pest animal control and so forth, are dispelled. Force, fear, and coercion are now the bedrock of Australian foreign and domestic policy. Our schools here practise education by threat, the religions are autocratic, and government is seen as something draconian and unresponsive, which of course it is. As a result, it is not surprising that the gun is seen as an appropriate method of expression. Take away some Australians’ right to have a gun, and you take away his ability to communicate.
If we, as a Nation, are going to have any wildlife left for our children and grandchildren to see, in the very near future we have to do something about the ‘if it hops, flutters or flys, or eats grass, kill it’ mentality of some of our people.
Right; even wombats are not safe from the "sporting shooters"! Perhaps we need another buyback. The trouble is that the shooters groups, with their huge financial resources, and who even have Members wheeling and dealing in Parliament, have become so powerful that such a notion would never see the light of day! It appears that the gun will rule in Australia for a long time yet.
This harmless little wallaby was in the wrong place at the wrong time, his legs have been cut off and taken away for dog food! Our recommendations for coping with guntoting yobbos. Don’t shoot back at them, you will get into trouble, and they probably have more rights than you do. Phone the police. If there is no reply at your local Police Station, keep trying further afield until you find a Police Station where someone answers the phone. If you dial 000 the call will be logged, and they will notify your nearest police station. Follow your phone call up with a letter to the Officer-in-Charge. Keep a copy of all letters to create a paper trail.
Remember the Police have a limited budget and limited resources, and they prioritise violent crime against humans. They may not be able to act immediately.
Right; Even calves are not safe from the "sporting shooters"! Although most Police Officers are concerned about guns in the hands of yobbos, a few Police Officers are shooters themselves, and may not be very sympathetic. That’s why it’s important to write a letter as well. If Police action fails or doesn’t eventuate, write to the Officer-in-Charge of your biggest and closest Regional Police Station. Never abuse the Police. They have a difficult and thankless job to do. You need to keep them on your side, not alienate them. Create a paper trail. Write to your local Member of Parliament, as often as you need to. In rural areas your local Member may be an ex-farmer and may also not be very sympathetic. Never mind, keep writing at each shooting event you experience. Keep the replies.
Keep a diary or record of any shooting events you or your neighbors experience.
Right; A tiny joey peers from the pouch of her shot mother! Try to get a registration number if you can, and if it’s safe to do so. I followed a shooters’ vehicle one night, without any lights on. When I got close enough I turned on the lights and got the rego number. The shooters raced away from me, I went home and rang the Police. They picked up the vehicle on its way back into town, and took away their guns. It’s an offence to shoot from the road. If its your immediate neighbor who is doing the shooting, keep making complaints in writing, to the Police, your local Member, and your shooting neighbor. If nothing happens keep writing further up the chain, go as high as you like, even to the State Premier if necessary. Keep copies of every letter you write, and every letter in reply you receive, and write as often as you can, especially after an event. If you don’t get a written response back, write again. Depending on State law, and if the shooters live close or adjacent to your property, you may be able to file for a restraining order, which is why it’s so important to have a paper trail. If this is what you are considering, talk to your lawyer. Try to keep livestock in a paddock way from the road at night if you are having shooter problems. Finally, good luck. A lot of rural residents are frightened to take any action, which is what the shooters’ want. Don’t let the beerswigging yobbos terrorise you and your family. Pat O’Brien
Coordinator, NKPC.
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