The Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia (SSAA) was established in 1948 to promote shooting sports and protect firearm owners' interests. The SSAA currently has over 120,000 members, making it the largest body representing licensed firearm owners in Australia, and covers all aspects of shooting and hunting, including firearms collecting and youth education. The SSAA also participates in the ongoing debates on government firearms policies.
The SSAA conducts regular safety seminars and practical instruction on firearm safety, and works closely with the firearm industry to promote responsible firearms handling among all shooters in Australia. It manages more than a dozen handgun, rifle and shotgun shooting competitions at the local, state, national and international levels, as well as having several branches devoted to historic and collectible firearms. The SSAA also provides general insurance for the majority of major shooting organisations within Australia, as well as public liability insurance for SSAA members whilst shooting or hunting, and manages the SSAA National Firearms Museum, located in St Marys, New South Wales
The SSAA is closely involved with the firearms industry, both at a national and international level. In 1999 the SSAA sponsored an international workshop that focused on the marking and identification of firearms for the international law enforcement community, in conjunction with firearm manufacturers and dealers, which was attended by the FBI, Interpol and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Within Australia, they have also worked closely with the National Firearm Dealers and Traders Council and the office of the federal Minister for Justice and Customs in the formulation of workable regulations regarding the importation of firearms into Australia.
The SSAA also publishes a range of publications, including Australian Shooter magazine, the Australian Shooters Journal, Hunter (magazine) and Australian & New Zealand Handgun. The SSAA has won national recognition for controlling feral pests in National Parks and farmland throughout Australia, and for presenting the facts about various firearms and shooting related issues in an objective and scientific way.