Written by on Mar 1, 2013. Posted in On Location

New York filming productions to be allowed assault weapons despite state ban

Productions filming on location in New York will most likely still be allowed to have assault weapons on set for filming purposes, despite the guns recently being banned. Governor Andrew M Cuomo has sought to clarify the law surrounding prop guns and fake ammunition.

“Should you be able to use these types of guns in movies? The answer is yes,” Cuomo commented in a news conference: “We do spend a lot of money in this state bringing movie production here.

“There’s no reason not to make a change like that to give an industry comfort, especially when it’s an industry we want to do business in the state.”

Will Smith’s New York-filmed I Am Legend (left) was one example of a big-budget production using assault rifles on location in recent years. Filmmakers usually have a range of options for using weapons on-screen, including rubber replicas and deactivated guns with prop ammunition.

Should you be able to use these types of guns in movies? The answer is yes.

Andrew M Cuomo, Governor of New York

New York has banned ownership of many kinds of military rifles for private citizens. Authorities do, however, want to allow the production industry to film action scenes on location in the state.