The Block has been hit with demands to pull its Tuesday night episode before it can go to air, as critics claim it will ‘glamourise guns’ with a shooting competition.
The episode, which will air at 7.30pm on Channel Nine and 9Now, sees Blockheads visit Clunes Field & Game for a clay target shooting challenge.
However, Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell took to Instagram in support of a petition demanding the segment be pulled.
‘Tonight’s episode of The Block features Clunes Field & Game, a group that promotes recreational shooting (including of native animals),’ Purcell wrote on Tuesday.
Purcell added that guns, ‘have no place on family TV. This sends a dangerous message to children.’
She then added, ‘We’re calling on Channel Nine to pull the episode now,’ and provided a link to a petition for followers to voice their concerns.
The Block has been hit with demands to pull its Tuesday night episode before it can go to air, as critics claim it will ‘glamourise guns’. Pictured: hosts Scott Cam and Shelley Craft
The petition says the Tuesday night episode of the Scott Cam-hosted show should be pulled ‘for giving a national platform to the Clunes Field & Game Branch’.
It claims the business ‘promotes recreational hunting—killing animals for sport’, and raises concerns about it being aired on family TV.
‘Featuring them on a prime-time, family-friendly show normalises gun[s]…’ the petition reads.
When Daily Mail reached out to Nine for comment, a spokesperson said the clay shooting challenge was conducted safely, but did not reveal if the network had considered pulling the episode in response to the concerns.
‘The Clay Shooting challenge to feature on The Block was an activity conducted under strict professional supervision, ensuring our contestants were kept safe at all times,’ they said.
According to the Field & Game website, the organisation ‘provides a range of activities and benefits’ relating to ‘conservation, hunting, and clay target sports’.
The challenge segment on The Block episode in question will only be related to the clay target sports activities provided at the Clunes facility and will not include the recreational hunting of animals.
Field & Game also claims to promote ‘conservation through pest animal hunting’ and ‘sustainable and ethical game hunting’, among other things.
The episode, which will air at 7.30pm on Channel Nine and 9Now, sees Blockheads visit Clunes Field & Game for a clay target shooting challenge
Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell took to Instagram in support of a petition demanding the segment be pulled
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Clunes Field & Game recently revealed the branch would be featured on the reality renovation show.
‘Clunes Field & Game Branch will be featured on the hugely popular show “The Block” next Tuesday (August 19th) at 7:30 PM!’ the business wrote on Instagram.
‘Whether Clunes is your branch or not, don’t miss the chance to see the club in action on national television!’
The hashtags ‘#TheBlock #FGAlife #Hunting #Conservation #ClayTargetShooting’ were also added to the caption.