ANST-Announce - Information and rally: Texas Association of Living Historians and Reenactors

[Kief av Kiersted]

Heilsa all my Countymen, Good and True...!

Thought that some of ya'll might be interested in this message. I found it 
to be of current interest to our Society...

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>Texas Association of Living Historians and Reenactors
>
>
>Recent developments on many fronts have prompted this
>web site.
>
>1) Earlier this year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife
>Department held a meeting with TPWD staff and a few
>individual reenactors to formulate safety standards
>that would apply to living history and reenactment
>events held on TPWD property. While relatively few
>events are held by TPWD, the significance of these
>safety standards is that they will, most likely, be
>adopted by other event organizers. The TPWD standards
>will, in effect, be the de facto precedent for future
>standards.
>
>2) There have been rumors that US House Minority
>Leader Richard Gephardt and Rep. Joe Hoeffel of
>Pennsylvania have called for antique and replica
>firearms to be regulated the same as modern guns by
>the Federal Government. (Since this was written, I
>have received confirmation of this move.)
>
>3) The State of Massachusetts recently passed gun
>control legislation that threatened to kill most
>reenactments in that state, including the reenactment
>of Revolutionary War battles. The state's strict new
>gun-control law, which includes trigger locks and lock
>boxes for all firearms (including muskets), is
>threatening next year's 225th-anniversary celebration
>of the Battle of Lexington.
>
>4) Legislation passed in this year’s Texas Legislature
>actually eased some of the restrictions on swords and
>replica or antique firearms, but stopped far short of
>being of benefit to a many of reenactors. If we had
>been better represented, we might have gotten better
>legislation.
>
>In short, there are many changes being proposed to the
>laws, rules and restrictions that we must deal with in
>order to provide the public with high quality and
>accurate representation of our history. This trend of
>ever changing restrictions is only going to increase.
>Without input from the reenacting community, I am
>concerned that these changes will be to our detriment.
>
>
>So, what’s my point? I’m proposing that the living
>history/ reenactment community in Texas do something
>it has never done before. I’m proposing that our
>community put aside our past problems and do something
>positive for both the benefit of our country and the
>living history venue. I’m proposing the formation of
>the Texas Association of Living Historians and
>Reenactors (TALHR) (pronounced “taller”). The
>association will be state wide and open to all
>individuals and organizations, regardless of time
>period represented.
>
>Some of the goals of the association would be:
>1) The representation of the members, as a whole,
>before the legislature and state regulatory agencies.
>2) Dissemination of information to members on subjects
>of common interest.
>3) Representation of member concerns to the public and
>media.
>4) Coordinate efforts from around the state in order
>to focus attention on critical issues.
>5) Encourage voter registration and participation
>through our individual organizations.
>
>
>I have made arrangements to have an organizational
>meeting on Saturday, October 9, 1999 at the Military
>Forces Museum located on the grounds of the Texas
>National Guard Headquarters, Camp Mabry, in Austin,
>Texas. The meeting will start promptly at 9:00 AM and
>be concluded by 5:00 PM, with a 1 hour, or so, break
>for lunch at noon. I will have an agenda ready by the
>meeting for those attending. If you have topic you’d
>like to have on the agenda, please let me know.
>
>If you are concerned about how new laws, regulations,
>and rules affect your life as a living historian; if
>you want to work with other similar minded folks in a
>spirit of cooperation and mutual support; if you want
>to take part in an organization that can affect the
>Texas living history community in a positive way. If
>you are willing to put your time, talents and money to
>work for what you believe in, then you need to be at
>this meeting.
>
>What can you do right now? Send this URL


http://users.constant.com/~ths/talhr/talhr.html


>to every reenactor or living historian you know. Discuss
>these issues at your next unit or club meeting. If
>your group or unit is interested in participating,
>arrange for a couple of representatives to attend the
>meeting. The meeting space is somewhat limited, so
>discretion should be used when deciding how many of
>your group should attend, BUT everyone is welcome. If
>you are interested, please email me with the
>information on your group and how many plan to attend.
>Also, I’m trying to keep all correspondence on this
>subject limited to email. Please don’t telephone me
>unless it is an absolute emergency.
>
>Needless to say, this will take a great deal of work
>and cooperation. That will not be easy for some of us.
>To see this organization be successful, even I need to
>"bury the hatchet" with some folks. I hope they will
>understand and attend, so that I can shake their hand;
>let bygones be bygones and move forward to benefit all
>of us. Like Ben Franklin said: "If we do not hang
>together, we shall surely hang separately."
>
>Sic Semper Texanus
>Charlie Yates <ths at nabi.net>
>
>Charles M. Yates
>Director - Texian Heritage Society, Inc.
>15742 Fitzhugh Rd.
>Austin, TX 78736
>(512) 264-2355
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Wæs Þu Hæl kinfolk...!
Kief
"Better the Hammer than the nail..."

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