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A firearms group will lobby the ACT government to allow sport shooters to use larger calibre target pistols in official competitions. Australian Firearms Management Lobby Group recently registered on the ACT's lobbyist register. Its head, William John Wilcher said the registration was unrelated to the ACT's recent move to restrict rapid fire lever action shotguns. "The lobby group is not engaged in an way, shape or form to lobby in respect to lever action shotguns, or any other form of shotgun at this time," Mr Wilcher said "It is the ethos of the lobby group to seek only sensible changes to the firearms laws when engaged to do so. "As the sole director of the lobby group, it is my position that changes to the laws to relax firearms licensing requirements all together or to lobby for fully automatic military weapons for civilian or recreational use will never be advanced." Instead, the group is looking to bring all Australian jurisdictions in line with Victoria in allowing International Practical Shooting Confederation classic division competitors to use pistol calibres greater than .38 of and inch up to .45 of an inch. "Currently, Australia - other than Victoria - is being overlooked as a destination for IPSC classic division competitors because competition is not permitted to use the calibres greater than .38 of and inch up to .45 of an inch," Mr Wilcher said. "New Zealand has a number of world class competitive shooters. Calibres of calibre greater than .38 of and inch up to .45 of an inch are legal in New Zealand for IPSC classic division. "This lobbying project is seeking to obtain parity for the other states and territories with Victoria and seeks only an addition of a third category of approved target shooting match for target shooting with calibres greater than .38 of and inch up to .45 of an inch." The lobbying project is yet to receive any registrations in the ACT and will not approach the government until a registration is received. The Sporting Shooters Pistol Club ACT would not be drawn on the proposed changes. In an email to Fairfax Media, president Roger Barson said: "As a club, we comply with whatever ACT legislation requires, and leave lobbying on firearms matters to the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia."

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