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For 43 years, people who love the sport of clay target shooting have descended on Geraldton, 400 kilometres north of Perth, for a popular annual festival testing their skills.
But Olympic athletes and an event organiser now fear that new WA gun laws will be the end of the Crayfish Carnival, which was held over the weekend.
When the event was first launched, western rock lobster fishers were involved in organising it, and provided up to 200 highly-prized crayfish for the first place winner — hence the name.
The Firearms Act 2024 was passed by state parliament on June 19 and will require stronger evidence of why firearms are needed.
Competitive shooters, like those competing in clay target shooting, must have formal written authority from a club and participate in a minimum number of registered competitions annually to retain their licence.
In announcing the reforms, WA Premier Roger Cook said the changes would make WA a safer place and modernise the way police monitored and enforced firearm laws.
"WA is the last jurisdiction to rewrite its firearm legislation since the Port Arthur massacre," he said.
James Willett says WA's gun laws are restrictive compared to other states. (ABC Midwest Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
Treated like criminals
Three-time Australian Olympian and current world number 1 in trap shooting James Willett agreed the new arrangement made it harder for the sport.
"I don't think we need to be targeted in any sort of restrictions — it's difficult enough," he said.
"Like even coming to Western Australia to get the gun approvals, it's like travelling internationally."
Mr Willett said the shooting community was being made to feel like criminals.
"We're going to have a home Olympics in 2032," he said.
"I think the gun laws for the licensed shooters should be easier, it should be national.
"It's difficult when we're trying to build a sport like we are."
Crayfish Carnival competitors had to apply for permission to bring their guns into WA. (ABC Midwest Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
Steve Pellegrino is a clay shooter from Melbourne who has been travelling to WA for the Crayfish Carnival for 21 years.
He said the new laws were a major topic of discussion for the shotgun clay target community.
"They're not happy because … they haven't done anything wrong," he said.
"They say, 'Oh, we want to get guns out of the community', but no criminal is going to hand their guns in, instead they're upsetting genuine people [and] want to take their guns off them."
The Geraldton Crayfish Carnival drew over 200 participants. (ABC Midwest Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
Shooting a diverse competition
Australian Olympian shooter Laetisha Scanlan also travelled from Victoria for the event this year, after first visiting with her father when she was 15 years old.
"My dad took me to this shoot because he said it was always a great shoot," she said.
Ms Scanlan said there had always been a struggle with separating the sport from general gun use.
"And because of that, it's people like myself, that really want to show the world and, and show Australia and all the states, that this purely is a sport," Ms Scanlan said.
"Yes, we do use a firearm, but it is so incredibly safe and such a fun sport.
"It doesn't discriminate, you've got 15-year-old shooters, you've got 85-year-old shooters, male, female, all competing together. It's amazing in that respect.
"And I think if we can keep promoting that within the industry and with people that don't know a lot about guns and clay targets … I think we're going in the right direction."
Olympic shooter Laetisha Scanlan says clay target shooting is a diverse sport. (ABC Midwest Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
Future of shooting clubs at risk
Justin Pirrottina has been a Crayfish Carnival event organiser for 30 years.
He said it was already hard obtaining grants because they were a gun club.
"I mean, this is an Olympic sport," he said.
"We're not running around in cammo (cammouflage) gear and doing silly things."
Mr Pirrottina said they had more than 100 shooters travel from the eastern states this year and each one of them had to get a permit to bring their gun to WA, which could take weeks to get approved.
Justin Pirrottina says the new WA gun laws will affect clubs like the Geraldton Clay Target Club. (ABC Midwest Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)
However, he said if someone wanted to take their gun from WA to the eastern states, they could fly out tomorrow.
"People will say, 'Stuff it, I'll just go and play golf' — we definitely will lose people," he said.
"We'll lose members and we're only a small club and there's plenty smaller than us and it'll make it really hard."
He said the club was already struggling to remain financially viable and the carnival was its main fundraising opportunity.
When the new legislation entered parliament, Premier Cook said farmers who use firearms to do their job and club members who use them to participate in their sport would all be accommodated for in the new laws.