The West Australian newspaper has run an article on the NSC in what must be one of the dumbest moves by Labor politicians against shooters that we’ve seen for quite a while.
A couple of days ago, we sent emails to Labor candidates contesting next month’s federal election in WA, to let them know why we were going to recommend to shooters in that state that they vote against Labor.
Using the federal election to fight papalia
The message was simple. While guns are a state issue, we were taking advantage of the federal election to persuade Labor candidates of the need to convince their state counterpart, Police Minister, Paul Papalia, of the need to change his tune on guns.
You might recall that Minister Papalia is proposing to change WA’s gun laws to cover up for the regulator’s own incompetence in running legal cases. Click here to see our earlier story.
Specifically, we said:
“It is our request that you put as much pressure on Minister Papalia as you can to come into line on firearms. All we want is good regulation and a decent platform for dealing with firearms policy.”
Labor candidate runs to the media, scared of shooters
Then we received a call from The West Australian newspaper, who had a copy of our email.
In other words, one of the candidates – and we’re pretty sure we know who it was – gave the email to the paper and made statements about us being the Australian NRA.
The article
The article, which was published on 13 April, reads:
A pro-gun lobby group is threatening to run political campaigns against Labor candidates contesting WA seats at the Federal election in retaliation for the McGowan Government cracking down on firearms ownership.
The National Shooting Council — founded in 2019 to “focus solely on the political problems facing shooters” — has contacted Labor MPs and candidates to warn them gun owners will be urged to preference Labor last.
In an email, NSC national secretary Neil Jenkins took aim at WA Police Minister Paul Papalia over his intention to rewrite the State’s gun laws to impose much more onerous ownership conditions, including more stringent training requirements.
“This is to advise you that the National Shooting Council has decided to recommend that shooters in WA vote against Labor which obviously affects you,” Mr Jenkins wrote. “It is our request that you put as much pressure on Minister Papalia as you can to come into line on firearms.”
NSC vice-president Pete Zabrdac told The West the group planned to distribute fliers to homes in Cowan, Swan and Pearce — each viewed as a battleground seat that could fall to either of the major parties.
He also rejected the comparison to the National Rifle Association in the US, which he described as a “totally different animal”.
Mr Papalia insisted the NSC was “essentially Australia’s NRA” and that he would not be intimidated by their actions.
“They behave like them, they use the same tactics and it is very disturbing,” he said.
Howard's 'godsend'
The online version of the story contains the additional claim by Papalia:
“The incredible gift to the nation from John Howard, in terms of the National Firearms Agreement, has served us well and could be further complied with in our State.”
So there you have it. WA’s Police Minister, believes what Mr Howard did was an “incredible gift to the nation”.
Yet Mr Papalia is reviewing the state’s gun laws which can only mean that the incredible gift wasn’t all that incredible.
What is also apparent to us is that Papalia obvoiusly considers us to be a stakeholder in the WA firearms community. Yet the consultation his government is running does not include us. That will be because we’re happy to ask the hard questions.
Letterbox drop coming soon
As we did in NSW last year, the NSC is getting ready to have flyers distributed to every house in Papalia’s electorate a few days before the federal election.
We’ll also be putting out How-To-Vote advice for shooters Australia-wide, including with a strong focus on WA.
Stay up to date with what we’re doing. Click here to check out our videos at NSCTV which will become the go-to place for everything political that matters to shooters.
Well done. There’s a saying: “The flak gets heavy when you’re on target”. I can verify it happens.
From my experience, if you add a request that the new parliament put back the teeth (prosecutions) in the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Abuse (removed by Tony Abbott), you’ll see a massive crackdown on guns… from the same guilty faces as before. Normal people won’t see the connection, but I’m not talking about normal people.
Explanation: conservative suburbs in the capital cities were targeted by liberal theologians (it being then normal for influential people to attend church) and in one or two generations ‘conservative’ ceased to mean anything. So a ‘libertarian’ premier in NSW, from a ‘conservative’ party, announced the lock-out of society of 2 million people for not taking an experimental genetic modifier – just as happened to so many of us over guns: no tertiary qualifications, no job, no career, no home ownership…
Not only would I like to see the Royal Commission (or the missing prosecutions) back in action, but that government choose what properties are sold to pay compensation to victims – starting with those in city centres and monasteries.
For many years I had heard stories about how WA is a police state where any challenge to the gumbyment would result in a smear campaign at best and a visit/ harassment from the police if you continued.
This article just seems to prove the point.
The WA police minister is a complete clown. I was planing on a holiday in WA but I won’t be bothering anymore. I will just spend my money some where else. I would also encourage other gun owners NOT to visit WA either and get the word out as to what’s happening there. If Papalia really loves gun control so much why doesn’t he just pack up and move to Communist China or Cuba instead.
Lol exactly ???
I look forward to seeing Papalia getting his arse kicked by the NSC. Like all tin pot dictators, he will become an irrelevant memory and an object of derision.
I held Mr Papalia in high regard, having seen him in action as moderate, reasoned (and reasonable) and capable of forming a judgment based on the facts as presented.
I was wrong on all counts. He is egregiously ill-informed, bigoted, biased and patently incapable of intelligent thought. I am disappointed in him as a person and a politician.
I have been a member of Transport Workers Union for many years . I am angered by the fact that my union dues are being used to support the McGowan government who appear intent on shafting me so royally . I will be resigning my membership and making the TWU aware of the reason .
As is the case when dealing with those from the communist left such as Papalia, when they have no arguments or reasoning to counter claims, they resort to name calling.
Bozo Papalia has proved yet again that he has no substantial argument and is trying to control any conversation with law abiding citizens by pretending that he has the high moral ground when he clearly has nothing of substance to offer.
He deserves to be unemployed at the next election but, as is always the case, politicians continue to bleed the public purse dry even after leaving office.
If Papalia was a genuinely dignified and honourable public servant, he would be voting to have the post-service cash grab by his ilk shut down.
Of course, that cannot be his stance as attacking easy targets works better with an equally dishonourable media.
Another way of putting pressure on the WA government to to boycott WA for holidays and shooting trips and also stop buying anything online which is based in WA.
Unfortunately it would affect many small business, but those small business will then complain to the WA government.
Why do the coward politicians of today coward down to the leftist Narrative with no evidence.
Weapons are and have been since time began been part of Society so what has changed other than the leftist movement to disarm and control the population one again, with
This action to restrict the issuing of letters to shooters on a farm by farm basis is a blatent Restriction of trade toward the earnings for the running of the farm and the land use .
Shooters have been helping farmers destroy ferrel animals for over 100 years
Does WAPOL plan on compensation payments to farmers who have lost stock and earnings from allowing shooters access to their property
Not only does the farm benifit from pest destruction but also the small charge for the access letter a double loss to the farmer
I think the farmers would have adequate grounds for a class action to recoup their losses
I have total respect for people who achieved the high elite levels in their military career such as Paul Papalia did.
Having said that the current views he is purported to hold seems to be at odds with most elite warriors viewpoints and I find this quite baffling ?.
I’m hoping to be involved further in the consultation process of this legislative review and am trying to be diplomatic here :/, early days but I’m confident at this stage that there are some very positive changes being discussed, as in positive for all shooters in regard to cheaper, quicker and simpler firearms upgrades/aquisitions, hope Im right 🙂
Papalia is just a wuss. His service in the military (If it’s not a lie) means that as the bully he is, he feels scared when he isnt the most powerful person in the room with a semi-auto gun. He feels threatened by the fact that he cant protect himself with his own firearms anymore, so he thinks he can take them away from everyone else.