In the fall of 2013, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) announced that it would ban hunting with firearms on 5,300 acres of its property in the Adirondacks as result of the ill-conceived SAFE Act. An amendment was recently signed by the Governor that enables the college to restore hunting on this property. Barclay co-sponsored the measure in the Assembly.

“I have heard from a number of sportsmen and women who wish to see hunting restored in that area and I am pleased that this amendment was signed by the Governor. The amendment will work to respect the time-honored tradition of hunting on the land, attract more people to the area, and help keep wildlife populations in check,” said Barclay.

Apart from the infringements the SAFE Act had on our 2^nd Amendment rights, Barclay said the act’s rushed implementation also had unintended consequences and created felony penalties for possessing a rifle, shotgun, or firearm in or upon a building or grounds used for educational purposes. According to the amendment, while the law provided an exemption for land owned by SUNY ESF, it did not contain an exemption for property that is “held in trust” for SUNY ESF which includes 5,300 acres in the Adirondacks.

Without mention of "land held in trust," under the law an individual who possessed a firearm on these premises in the Adirondacks could be charged with a Class E Felony. As a result, SUNY ESF made the decision to ban hunting on its Adirondack properties to prevent hunters from being charged with a felony. This amendment makes the technical changes in existing law to once again open up these areas for hunting.