Do historical reenactments violate NY gun law? Organizers cancel events amid confusion
Confusion surrounding New York gun laws has disrupted historical reenactments across the state, and despite Gov. Kathy Hochul's office insisting the law does not prevent them from taking place, lingering questions have prompted organizers of annual events to cancel.
In the Allegany County village of Angelica, a Civil War reenactment weekend scheduled for Sept. 23-25 was canceled after consulting local law enforcement about the new restrictions, and how they would prevent the use of weapons in historical events.
In Central New York, the Living History Weekend scheduled for Sept. 10-11 in German Flatts, which also includes a Civil War reenactment, was also canceled after members of law enforcement consulted their attorneys.
"Our attorneys advised us that there is no exemption in the law for civil war reenactments," said Herkimer County Sheriff Scott Scherrer. "It would be illegal according to the letter of the governor's law."
And in the Northern Tier, a reenactment of the War of 1812's Battle of Plattsburgh was put on hold.
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Do historical weapons violate NY gun laws?
In each of the events, reenactors' use of black powder muskets seems to violate the law's restrictions — carrying weapons in sensitive locations, which the law states include public parks, museums and sports fields, is prohibited — but in a statement received by USA TODAY Network New York Tuesday, Hochul's office said the law, which went into effect Sept. 1, does not forbid reenactments.
"These laws allow historical re-enactments to occur," the statement read, "and we will work with legislators and local law enforcement to ensure these events can legally and safely proceed.”
By the time the statement was issued, the Angelica and German Flatts events had already been canceled, with no plans to reschedule for a later date. In Plattsburgh, the Press-Republican reported the event would proceed as planned, after local officials announced law enforcement would not arrest any participants.
Sheldon Boyce Jr., a Rochester attorney who specializes in Second Amendment law for Brenna Boyce PLLC, said there is still no exemption codified in the law itself.
"[Hochul's] saying that they're going to pass new legislation to exempt the enactments," said Boyce Jr. "But so far I have not seen an actual bill that's been signed by the governor."
Confusion remains for NY historical reenactment organizers
In the meantime, organizers are left wondering how to move forward.
Organizers of the German Flatts event said in a Facebook message their vendors had committed to other events once the reenactment was canceled, and there are no plans in place to reschedule it.
Terry Parker, who started the event in Angelica 18 years ago and leads the small organizing group, said there are no plans to revive their Civil War Weekend event, either.
And while Hochul's statement gives hope events like Angelica's may return, "We didn’t really want to be the test case and get my friends arrested," Parker said.
"All it would take is a citizen complaint," he said, "and the whole thing will become a mess."
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Amid NY gun law confusion, battle reenactments canceled across state
