Weapon Prop Question

[JosephW]

So one of my cosplays involves a weapon prop, rather, two of them. Just a couple of simple water guns. As per usual weapon policies, both of them are orange-tipped (bright orange duct tape), though my question is about the "peace bonding" that the FAQ mentions.

I've already disabled the triggers on both guns by using hot glue, just putting a huge glob of it underneath the trigger and letting it dry, effectively preventing the trigger from being squeezed at all. (seriously, no matter how hard I squeeze, the trigger doesn't budge a bit)

Seen here: https://i.imgur.com/uY0CdOi.jpg

Will that be accepted? I brought them to RI Comic Con and the security there were fine with it, but I'm not sure if Anime Boston has different guidelines for disabling weapon props.

[Bennigata]

"Peace bonding" means you have taken them to the weapons check and they have been given a marker by the staff showing they've been inspected.

As for whether or not they're acceptable or not, we can't say, as we can not pre-approve any props or weapons. That falls to Hyne's Security.

[JosephW]

"Peace bonding" means you have taken them to the weapons check and they have been given a marker by the staff showing they've been inspected.

Ah, I thought it meant that the con itself would apply something to the prop to disable it, like tight wiring or something.

I figure if a big organization like Comic Con was okay with it, then it should be fine.

[Aidan2]

Ah, I thought it meant that the con itself would apply something to the prop to disable it, like tight wiring or something.

I figure if a big organization like Comic Con was okay with it, then it should be fine.

Different Cities, Different Venues, Different Security restrictions. What is normal and accepted at one show, does not mean it will apply to another.

We strive to be friendly and professional, however Anime Boston is not involved with prop approvals. Those are managed by the MCCA, BPD and State Troopers as necessary.


If you want a SUPER baseline guidelines?

If you were to accidentally hit someone with your prop, would you hurt the person or would the prop break?
Could it reasonably be seen as an actual weapon, By any person at 30' away at night?

However we Can Not, and WILL NOT pre approve any prop.

[JosephW]

If you want a SUPER baseline guidelines?

If you were to accidentally hit someone with your prop, would you hurt the person or would the prop break?
Could it reasonably be seen as an actual weapon, By any person at 30' away at night?

These things weigh maybe 5 or 6 ounces and are mostly made of thin, hollow plastic, so they'd probably break before a human would, yeah.

And given their odd shape and bright neon colors, I don't think anyone would mistake it for a real weapon at any distance.

So yeah, I think I'll be fine.

However we Can Not, and WILL NOT pre approve any prop.

Mmhm, I'm aware. Wasn't expecting pre-approval, was just wanting a bit of clarification about the "peace bonding" bit in the FAQ. I feared that I might have to remove the glue in favor of whatever disabling method the con is using, or something like that.

[JosephW]

Though, wait, looking through the policies / FAQs:

"All items as listed in the Prohibited Items list are not allowed. There are no exceptions to this list, regardless as to whether the item is functional or not."

And in Prohibited Items:

"Projectile weapons (pellet guns, airsoft rifles, pistols, disc guns, paintball markers, water pistols, or other liquid "weapons," etc)."

So would this water gun just be not allowed at all, even though it's disabled?

The Props Policy says that all "prohibited items" are not allowed, regardless of whether it's functional or not, and "water pistols" are listed.

I can't seem to find any clear answer on this. Searching through other threads here, the general consensus seems to be that as long as the firing mechanism is disabled and it doesn't look like a real gun and it's not made of metal, then it's okay. My weapon prop fits all of those....but the policy seems to say that any and all "gun" weapons are banned, even if they're not functional.

Looking through videos of Anime Boston 2017, there are plenty of people with prop weapons, even ones that look realistic, so...I might be okay?