Gun registrations are booming in the Illawarra and firearm owner Darcy Baker thinks he knows why.
There were 1393 new guns registered in the region last year, 271 more than in 2007.
The increase is in line with a statewide spike that has been attributed to more liberal gun laws.
However, Mr Baker, a long-time competitive shooter and a firearm safety awareness officer for the NSW Government, said the rising registrations marked a growing acceptance of shooting sports and the people who take part in them.
"I think (despite) all of the hype that's been in the media, people are seeing it's only the criminal element that are doing all the illegal activities," he said.
"We're taxpaying, law-abiding citizens."
Mr Baker is a member of The 74 Pistol Club at Dapto, which recorded a 25 per cent jump in membership last year.
He expects that changes made late last year allowing first-time shooters onto the state's rifle ranges for a $35 fee, ending the need for a three-month licence, will provide a further boost to membership.
"The Government's own range (at the Sydney International Sports Complex) was booked out until the end of January from people wanting to give it a go," he said.
Sporting Shooters Association of Australia's Illawarra president, Alois Ambs, agreed the increase in gun registrations was mainly due to a growing interest in shooting as a sport.
"It might also have something to do with the fact the registration process has been simplified," Mr Ambs said.
Gun control has proved an emotive issue for Illawarra residents, who blocked a proposal for a gun shop at Fairy Meadow last year after strong opposition to its proposed location.
Statewide, gun ownership has risen at a rate of 10,000 a year since 2004 to more than 187,000 firearms.
However, Greens MP Lee Rhiannon attributes the increase to gun law changes, including a reduction in the length of time required to own additional firearms and a move allowing men who had been the subject of an apprehended violence order to own a gun.
"The fact that there is such an increase (in registrations) in the Illawarra should be a wake-up call to the Government to tighten gun control laws rather than weaken gun control laws, which they have done recently," Ms Rhiannon said.
She said the Government had weakened the laws to appease members of the Shooters Party, who were needed to help pass legislation.
Late last month, Police Minister Tony Kelly announced a three-month crackdown on unregistered and unlicensed guns would begin on March 1. He said "a life lost because of unsecured gun firearms is too high a price to pay".
However, he defended the existing gun laws and said the majority of gun owners were responsible.
In 2007, 22 firearms were stolen in the Illawarra.
Email a friend