An upper house motion late last year commenced an inquiry into the potential environmental contribution of recreational hunting on public land.  The terms of reference were set and hundreds of submissions were received – many acknowledging the environmental contributions of hunters and supporting the legalisation of hunting on public lands.

In March of this year Beaton Firearms surveyed its clients to find out their opinions on the matter.  An overwhelming number of people completed the survey and gave us the very clear message – that responsible shooters will have a beneficial effect on the Western Australian environment, as shooters in other states of Australia do.  Information was also garnered as to current occurrences of hunting on public land (we appreciate the honesty of those submissions), hunter’s attitudes toward GPS tracking systems and mandatory training.

The information deduced from the survey was used in a submission by Beaton Firearms to the Public Administration Committee, acknowledging the terms of reference, elaborating on the benefits of legalising the practise of hunting on public lands and identifying the ease of introduction of an effective Recreational Hunting on Public Lands program.

Beaton Firearms is glad to announce it was chosen to appear in front of the Public Administration Committee during hearings in August – being a licensed firearm dealer it is likely that the Committee will be seeking information regarding the possible economic benefits of hunting on public lands to our industry and other industries.  Only 14 separate hearings have been called for at this stage – that Beaton Firearms has acquired a hearing as a result of its submission, from more than 400 submissions, makes us very proud.

Thank you to all of our clients who chose to complete our survey – please know that the information you provided is being utilised to positively secure a better future for licensed shooters in Western Australia.

–          Zaine Beaton, 1^st of July 2014