Shooters Union is raising funds to hire top economists for a professional cost-benefit analysis of government ambitions for new guns laws and buybacks, and the research is expected shock politicians and the public.
“I think we’re going to shock quite a few people,” Shooters Union president Graham Park said.
“The federal government still refuses to provide a clear, comprehensive price tag for its proposed buyback scheme,” he said, “yet independent reporting suggests compensation alone could fall anywhere between $422 million and $15 billion.
“That does not include administration, compliance, storage, transport or destruction costs.
“But costs are only half the question. The economic impact analysis will highlight the effect of a gun buyback on the Australian farming sector, the firearms-user sector, the firearms supply chain and the broader community.
“If governments are asking taxpayers to fund a program that may ultimately run into the billions, there must be clear, evidence-based analysis of both the financial cost and the projected public safety benefit.”
Mr Park said the governments were not going to provide this, and that the aim of the analysis would be to expose the truth to the media and public.
He said the research would also look at the value of the shooting sports and of shooting’s environmental contributions, such as destroying feral animals.
Shooters Union has so far spent $400,000 of members’ funds on campaigning since December, garnering two front-page articles in national newspapers and having a significant impact on the attitude of state governments who have seen the anger and potential loss of votes generated by the new laws adopted by both the federal government and the NSW government.
This time it aims to raise at least $60,000 from a wider section of the public.
Mr Park said every cent raised would be spent directly on the campaign or, if excess funds were raised, they would be kept in the Union’s fighting fund.
“We try and run this thing on the smell of an oily rag, so there’s always money there to do something to protect shooters’ interests,” he said of the largely volunteer-run organisation.
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