California: New gun law shoots down San Juan tradition

On Hoos’gow Day in San Juan Capistrano, 50 people dressed as cowboys brandish guns loaded with blanks and roam the city center, throwing anyone who isn’t wearing Old West attire into a mock jail.
The annual tradition is supposed to be harmless – and a new state law banning the open carry of handguns will make it even more so.
The law, which took effect Jan. 1, means the antique pistols that members of the San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Association customarily carry on Hoos’gow Day can’t be used, said Steve Weekes, the association’s president.