One thing I have said for a number of years now is that the disconnect between city and country has grown so wide that you could almost describe it as chalk and cheese. Those in our rural and farming areas know that not much has changed apart from the advancement of technology to make their jobs less laborious. Meanwhile, in the cities, it seems to be a case of me, me, me.

Many people have been drawn to the cities over time due to work, school, etc and therefore only know the city and suburbs. In the cities it seems to be a case of ‘how can I advance myself and get a better outcome for me/ my family?’ as compared to the country, where the general idea is ‘a mate needs a hand, I’m off to help, they’d do the same for me.’

Not that long ago, a great many people that lived in the city still had connections to rural land. “Pack your bags kids, we’re going to the farm this weekend.” Today, it’s the reverse, or at best, “Let’s go glamping!” What the bloody hell is that? You want a five star hotel in the bush?

The gap has grown so wide that city people have no idea where their food actually comes from or what kind of troubles a farmer faces when it comes to stock or crops.

For some of us that live in the city or suburbs, we love getting out and going bush. It’s cathartic to us and we love it. Not all of us that enjoy this are shooters, but the shooters sure do help. We take out feral species that threaten our native fauna and we’re proud to do our bit for the country’s ecology and remove anything from rabbits up to camels. We save farmers and the Government hundreds of thousands of dollars per annum and usually at our own expense.

That’s what I call ‘giving back’!

Meanwhile, back in the cities, where the ‘sanitised’ youth have been raised – they have no idea. The ongoing insanity over the Adler 110 being a prime example. Recently in The Daily Telegraph, they did their ‘Street Talk’ section where they asked random (yeah, right) people their thoughts on the Adler:

Do you notice the average age of these ‘random’ people? Looks to me like 19-24, would that sound right? How much rural contact have they had do you think? How much do you think they know about the plight of landholders? City-centric people have no idea about the issues surrounding farmers. It is no concern for them. Coles & Woolworths stock everything they need!

Let’s have a look at Louise’s comment. “unnecessary trouble” you say? Can you be more specific? Are you aware that the 5 shot version is legal and can also be legally modified? Who will cause this “trouble?” Law Abiding Firearms Owners? I don’t think so. A fact 100% backed up by the Senate Inquiry last year, of which Paul Murray was the only Australian journalist to bother to go and check these facts.

Max says “we haven’t had a massacre in 16 years!” I hope Max isn’t at university, he can’t even count!

Alexis: “This specific gun”? Oh, you mean the Adler? Is it because it’s black? The IAC, Pardus, Uzkon and Chiappas don’t count though, do they?

Dennis was almost close. He said “Why don’t you just leave it as it is?” All shooters would be happy with that, but then, like the ‘sanitised’ people I mentioned earlier, has no bloody idea and states “I just don’t think we need guns.”

All of these people are uneducated in firearms and this is unfortunately often what sways public opinion. People who know nothing, but feel compelled to have a very loud opinion. When was the last time they ‘went bush’?

We have all heard recently that ‘only farmers need these guns’ or ‘farmers & professional shooters have a legitimate reason.’ Sorry, that doesn’t fly with me. As I mentioned earlier, it’s the recreational hunter, who at their expense, assists landholders without reward. Sure, the SSAA run culls occasionally, but that alone won’t do much. The Government reducing the amount of funding to combat pests does less and less each year.

I say to you: who is the most beneficial group of people when it comes to assisting our farmers and country? Who gives the most in return? It is the recreational hunter, who does it for free. To continue to do our job (at no cost) we need the Adler and others of its’ ilk in our arsenal. In fact, we could even go further and demand that Category C firearms be returned to us. The first to whinge in the next rabbit plague will be the Government. “The farmers didn’t do enough!” they’ll cry as the environmentally deleterious 1080 poison is rolled out across affected areas. This in turn will take out many non-target species and our precious fauna will be again at risk.

The above is one possible scenario. Should any firearms owner let the Government get their way because of mass media hysteria?

You know the answer.

Written by a bloke who lives in the suburbs, but loves going bush.

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