The New York Police Department (NYPD) is receiving pushback online after arresting a man for possessing a prop firearm used commonly among the cosplaying community.
In a post to X on Saturday, the department announced that it had taken the man into custody after receiving reports regarding a weapon in one of the city’s boroughs.
“Recently, your @nypd90pct patrol cops responded to a call of a man with a gun in Brooklyn,” the account NYPD News wrote. “Thanks to their swift response & help from the community, an individual (currently on probation) possessing this weapon & fake FBI shield was safely apprehended & taken to jail.”
But users on X noted that the so-called gun wasn’t even real and was instead a toy used by those who regularly dress up as characters from movies and television.
“The ‘gun’ doesn’t even have chambers in the cylinder,” said Mikail J Clive. “You literally arrested a cosplayer, you fucking clowns. Glad crime in New York is so low you can afford to go after nerds playing dress up.
One user in the comments even located the item online, which is marketed at individuals interested in the Steampunk aesthetic and sells for roughly $36.
Many began making references to Squall Leonhart, a character who carries a similar weapon in the video game Final Fantasy VIII.
“Free my boy squall he did nothing wrong,” one user wrote.
“It’s always nice to see the NYPD is using its $5.4 billion budget to focus on important things, like arresting Final Fantasy cosplayers,” another added.
But not everyone was convinced that the item was harmless. Numerous users noted that although the gun was fake, the blade was very much real.
“NY classes any blade longer than 4 inches as a weapon,” one user said. “That prop has a 20 inch stainless steel blade. Granted it’s dull, but it matches the term ‘weapon.’”
“Love how many people are like ‘its cosplay not a gun’ ignoring the fact that it’s also a stainless steel sword,” another added. “Like it’s still a sword doesn’t matter how cosplay it is idk.”
In a statement to the Daily Dot, an NYPD spokesperson declined to answer questions over whether the man arrested was a cosplayer but said that charges included Criminal Possession Of A Weapon and Possession of a Forged Instrument.
The man has been identified as 40-year-old Wesley Williams of Queens, New York. It remains unclear whether Williams is in any way involved in the cosplaying subculture.
