From: SSAA, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Station: 3AK Date: 19/09/2000 Program: DOUG AITON Time: 1600 Item: INTERVIEWEES: SEBASTIAN ZICCONE, SPORTING SHOOTERS ASSOCIATION, DISCUSSION OF THE VICTORY OF MICHAEL DIAMOND IN CONSECUTIVE OLYMPIC SHOOTING EVENTS AND OTHER ISSUES RELATED TO FIREARMS. DOUG AITON: Now, we all know that Michael Diamond won the clay target shooting at the weekend and won Gold for Australia there. A couple of things I didn't know about this victory though, there are offshoots of this. He can, according to an article by Andrew Happell, he can lay claim to being the greatest clay target shooter of all time, after his Sunday victory. His effort in winning, his second consecutive Olympic Golf medal by five targets, has been described as the equal of winning the 400 metres win by the length of the pool. So, I had no idea that Michael Diamond's victory was so absolute and so spectacular. And he became the first Australian shooter in the 104 history of the Olympics to win two Gold medals. Now, the other aspect of this is the image of the sport. There's a letter in The Age today from a man called Bill Power in South Australia, and he says: "For many years the shooting fraternity of Australia has been pilloried by society, and the media following some of the... and the media, following some of the terrible tragedies that have occurred. Too often, all those who own firearms have been tarred with the same brush as the underworld". Good sentence that. "However, I congratulate The Age and writer Charles Happell for the excellent front page coverage of Michael Diamond's Gold win. What was said in his article, particularly by his Mother needed to be said and understood by the wider community. I and every other responsible tutor across Australia feel that the message has at last got out, and just perhaps Prime Minister John Howard will recognise that it is the neurotics who abuse the name of the sport." Now, what he's really saying is that sporting shooters are good guys, and a lot of people who have guns are not, and too often the two are confused. The president of the Sporting Shooters Association is Sebastian Ziccone. Hello Sebastian. SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: How do you do, Doug? DOUG AITON: I hope I've got the pronunciation of your surname correctly? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: It's Ziccone. DOUG AITON: Ziccone. That's Italian, I suppose, is it? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: It is. DOUG AITON: Now, Sebastian, have I got it right? Has there been a bit of trouble in image? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Image has been an issue for us since '96, and, when - DOUG AITON: Yes - Port Arthur. SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: -- the Port Arthur tragedy and all that occurred with it. There were a number of knee jerk reactions to that tragedy, not the least of which is still the fact that there's yet to be a coronial inquiry, or inquest into the events. DOUG AITON: Is that so, is there going to be one? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Not likely. Not likely, the Tasmanian Government doesn't really want to put itself at risk insurance wise. So, I dare say that they're, they want to make sure that there never will be an inquiry. DOUG AITON: I thought that by law they'd have to have one. SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: I thought the same, but apparently not the case. That, I'd have to have some legal expert explain that one to me. But the image of the sport has been tarnished, we have been lumped in together as that letter to the editor pointed out with the undesirables in the community. Fortunately last month the Australian Institute of Criminology published a report that said that only nine percent of firearms related homicide and or crime was committed by individuals who were either unlicensed or used unregistered firearms, which is a great pat on the back for shooters in this country. It simply means that 91 percent of them are law abiding, honest, decent people. DOUG AITON: Yeah. What is the law? Who can get, how do you get a gun if you, do you have to be a registered member of the Sporting Shooters Association? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Not necessarily, it is a good reason for a shooter's license, but if you're prepared to jump though the hoops you can get a gun. There's a firearms safety course you have to attend and pass, with a pass rate of 38 out of 40 I might add. And if you, there are nine compulsory questions, a mistake in any one of those nine means an instant failure. So, you've got the cards stacked up against you, and that's before you even join any association or provide any other reason for a shooter's license. DOUG AITON: Well, let's take that a bit further. Are you aware of anyone having joined the Sporting Shooters Association for nefarious reasons, that is to say, in order to qualify to get a gun to use for criminal activity? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: No, I'm not, and if that ever became aware to, if we were ever made aware of that situation, that individual would cease to be a member of the association. So, we have our own internal arrangements for vetting the membership. DOUG AITON: Yeah. Have you kicked anyone out? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: We have, yes. DOUG AITON: For what reason? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Oh, failure to comply with our own bylaws, failure to remain a fit and proper person, those are the general reasons. DOUG AITON: Okay, does that mean - SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Convictions, a conviction of a crime, an inditable crime. DOUG AITON: In regard to a firearm? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Not necessarily a firearm, and inditable crime. DOUG AITON: Okay. So, are you saying that within your own organisation you've found that some, what you might call, you referred to before as 'undesirable people'? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Yes, but that's across the board, it happens in all associations, and the associations have mechanisms for policing that, and bringing it to the attention of the appropriate authorities. DOUG AITON: What does your, what do you think and what does your association think of the tightening of the gun laws? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: In the a majority of cases it was unnecessary. The laws we had in Victoria prior to '96 addressed most, if not all of the issues that the Minister, or the Justice Minister and the Attorney General at the time considered important, and if they had, those laws had been adopted by other states then we probably wouldn't have had to go through the heartache of a buy back. DOUG AITON: I see. Well, what, can you just reiterate what has changed since 1996 as far as the gun laws are concerned? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Well, obviously all semi-automatic firearms of any kind, rifle or shotgun have been banned. The number of legal semi-automatic firearms in this state is minimal, and most of the owners of those firearms are primary producers, the vast majority of them. I think that the, if the police ever released the details, you'd find there'd be less than 1000 of them in the community. I don't know the details specifically. Pump action shotguns were also deemed to be undesirable, and unfortunately both semi-automatic shotguns and pump action shotguns do serve a need in the sporting community for those people who are slightly built, or have a handicap of some sort. And shooting is a sport that most people, unless they're grossly handicapped, can participate in. And our association caters to physically challenged individuals, and you may have seen an advertisement for the Paralympics where one of our members, the shooter, is portrayed. DOUG AITON: Wasn't it easy for anyone, anyone just anyone to get a gun before 1996? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: No. DOUG AITON: It was difficult enough then, you say? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Oh, extremely difficult. It's marginally more difficult since '96, but it was just as difficult. You had to justify your reasons for a license, you still had a waiting period, you couldn't go out and buy a gun immediately, for a first purchase, there was no restriction on a second purchase, but that's only logical if you've got a gun, why do you need to be restricted in getting a second gun, legally that is. DOUG AITON: And has anything changed as far as the statistics are concerned that would justify what the Government has done? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Nothing at all. DOUG AITON: I thought not. SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Nothing at all. There was, there was a downward trend in homicides, in Victoria, that is, and nationally the same has occurred, and that downward trend has not changed. The slope of that trend, if you know anything about statistics, has not changed as a result of the legislation. DOUG AITON: Well this win by Michael Diamond is a ripper for your image, isn't it? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: It is, it's a wonderful ripper, and may I say publicly, congratulations to Michael. I don't, I haven't met the chap, but he's an excellent role model for all young shooters in this country, all young people in general. A level of dedication and commitment and self discipline that you don't normally see in young people, to achieve the sort of win that he has, and as you pointed out earlier, winning with five shots to spare is literally the equivalent of winning a 400 metre swim with a pool length to Government. DOUG AITON: Incredible, isn't it? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Absolutely amazing. There's a potential that tomorrow with the double trap, we might see a Silver/Gold combination for Australia. DOUG AITON: With Michael again? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Michael and Russell Mark. DOUG AITON: Oh, of course, that's his friend and, I think, coach? SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Exactly. They support one another excellently. They are great mates, and they're to be congratulated simply for that relationship. DOUG AITON: Sebastian, thank you very much for your time today. Very interesting to talk to you. SEBASTIAN ZICCONE: Thank you. DOUG AITON: Bye bye. DOUG AITON: Sebastian Ziccone, president of the Sporting Shooters Association. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
