The founder of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party John Tingle said he feels immensely proud of the party's state election success (March 23).
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The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party gained three lower house seats in Western NSW - Barwon, Orange and Murray.
Mr Tingle who lives in Wauchope said the result was a "coming of age" for the party.
"The big misunderstanding is that the party is about guns but the reality is that it has a broader agenda."
Mr Tingle describes himself as an "accidental politician".
"I was having lunch with the Police Minister Ted Pickering and he was going to introduce what I thought were quite unreasonable gun laws and I told him that if he did that the shooters would probably go political and he just laughed."
Mr Tingle preceded to set up the party as a "joke" only for the Daily Telegraph to find out about it and put the story on the front page.
"By the end of the week we had 1000 members."
I was 63 looking to retire to Port Macquarie, I had a block of land and without telling me they put me at the top of the ballot and I got elected.
- John Tingle
"It was a party that was never intended to be with someone elected who didn't know he was standing for parliament."
The former political journalist ended up as an upper house MP for 11-years.
Mr Tingle said it was rewarding to see the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party evolve.
He said the result over the weekend should be a wake up call to the National Party.
"The National Party is as much responsible for our successes as the Shooters.
"They have failed to stay in contact with their constituents.
"They have fallen into the trap that they are destined to govern, it never occurred to them they needed to be accountable."
He commended state Nationals MP for Port Macquarie Leslie Williams for increasing her vote at the election.
"She has worked hard for it as has Melinda Pavey in Oxley who has been a very good minister in a difficult portfolio."
But he said the wider party needed reform.
Mr Tingle said the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party would not look to water down firearm legislation in NSW but would lobby for the state firearm registry to better resourced.
"It is under-resourced, it is not working properly and it is the key to the firearms law working correctly."
He said the party would be focusing on sorting out the Murray Darling Basin and would not negotiate with the government until it was sorted.
They won't discuss anything with the government until they fix the Murray-Darling, that is the sort of attitude they will take.
- John Tingle
Despite being happily retired Mr Tingle said he would be keeping a close eye on the Federal Election.
The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party are looking to run candidates in a handful of seats - Parkes, Farrer, Riverina, Calare, Eden-Monaro, Hunter, New England and maybe Hume.
They are also targeting a senate spot.
At 87-years-old Mr Tingle has had a colourful, fascinating life.
He said the biggest lesson he has learnt is humility.
"I was a very arrogant bastard when I started, you can be knocked back then be sought after and now I never expect to succeed."
Mr Tingle spends his time listening to music, reading and engaging with his three children and two grandchildren.
He is also the Chairman of the Hastings Regional Shooting Complex.
As for the future, he has no specific plans.
"All the interesting things that have happened to me have happened by accident."
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