PROP / WEAPON POLICY

Your participation in TsumiCon means that you agree to comply with this Prop/Weapon Policy.

You further understand and agree that, for your own safety and the safety of everyone at TsumiCon, TsumiCon has the absolute and immediate discretion and right to inspect your costumes, prop weapons, and any other item you bring to the convention. We may temporarily or permanently remove any attendee in our sole and absolute discretion at any time for violating this Prop/Weapon Policy.

Tsumi Con reserves the right to modify and/or update this policy at any time in their sole discretion and without prior notice.

Prohibited Items

No Real Weapons Are Allowed at TsumiCon!

This includes firearms, knives, curios, relic antique firearms, any form of ammunition, any items designed or manufactured with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury, whether carried openly or concealed, even if any such weapons are inoperable or unusable and irrespective of whether you are licensed to possess such weapons. Items that may otherwise be legal for you to own or carry are not welcome at TsumiCon if they violate this Prop / Weapon Policy.

The following items are not permitted:

All Metal Weapons
Firearms, Ammunition, Rifles, Shotguns, Handguns, Blowguns, Tasers, Laser Pointers, Laser-Aiming Devices Or Similar Laser Devices
Explosives, Incendiary Devices, Chemical Weapons, And Pepper Spray / Mace
Knives, Live Blades/Swords (Including Katana And Other Martial Arts Style Swords), Daggers, Sword Canes, Switchblades, Bali-Song (Butterfly Knife), Axes, Kunai, Ice Skates, And Hatchets
Metal Pole Arms, Wooden/Metal Bats, Paddles, Stilts, Golf Clubs, And Vuvuzelas
Archery And Hunting Bows, Arrows, Nunchucks, Brass Knuckles, And Whips
Any Item Designed Or Manufactured With The Intent To Cause Death Or Serious Bodily Injury To Any Person Or Property, Any Item That Is Illegal In The State Of Nevada, Or Any Item That Appears, In TsumiCon’s Sole Discretion, To Be Dangerous Or Which Would Pose Or Place Others At Risk Or Harm, Immediate Or Otherwise

Peace Bonding

Prop Weapons must be submitted to “Weapons’ Check” for Peace Bonding. TsumiCon has the sole discretion to approve Prop Weapons. Please visit us at our Weapons’ Check Booth during the convention. Locations are to be determined and announced on our website at www.tsumicon.com.

We may revoke your Peace Bond at any time in our sole discretion. Behavior which will warrant revocation of your Peace Bond includes, but not limited to:

Brandishing an item in an inappropriate fashion, such as play-fighting or swinging the prop around
Causing complaints from other attendees
Tampering or altering of the Peace Bond

Prop weapons are inoperable weapons that support the overall look of your costume or character. For example, plastic airsoft guns, nerf guns, water guns, dart guns, disc guns, pellet guns, and cap guns are prop weapons.

If a prop weapon is, or was, at any time capable of firing anything, it must be rendered permanently inoperable in order to qualify for Peace Bonding. You can do this by, for example, permanently plugging the barrel with glue, caulk, or any non-removable substance and hot gluing all moving components of the prop in place. You must be able to prove that the prop weapon is permanently inoperable upon inspection.

In addition, to qualify for Peace Bonding, your prop weapon must meet the following criteria:

All bladed props, prop firearms, and prop knives cannot contain metal, have metal components, or have metal-based paints on them.
- Note: Lightsabers with metal hilts are allowed.
Your prop weapon cannot be more than 7 feet (2.13 meters) in any direction or weigh more than 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms).
Prop explosives or ammunition cannot be made out of metal.
All swords and bladed prop weapons must adhere to the following rules:
- They cannot be made out of metal.
- If your non-metal blade has a sharp edge or pointed tip, it must be anchored to a hard sheath for the duration of the convention.
- If you do not have a hard sheath, your non-metal blade must have a blunt edge and blunt tip.
All prop bows must be unstrung or have a low-tensile thread with no draw weight and be incapable of shooting.
All prop arrows must have blunt non-metal tips.
Metal chains are not permitted, unless it is for cosplay and affixed to a piece of clothing and/or armor.
Any prop chain must be under 7 feet (2.13 meters) to avoid safety and fire hazards.

If your prop weapon is a toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm, then federal regulations (15 CFR § 272.3) require that it either be translucent enough to permit unmistakable observation of the device’s complete contents or must have at least one of the following:

An Orange Solid Plug in Barrel: Have a blaze orange (Fed-Std-595B 12199) or orange color brighter than that specified by the federal standard color number solid plug permanently affixed to the muzzle end of the barrel as an integral part of the entire device and recessed no more than 6 millimeters from the muzzle end of the barrel; OR
An Orange Barrel Marking: A blaze orange (Fed-Std-595B 12199) or orange color brighter than that specified by the federal standard color number, marking permanently affixed to the exterior surface of the barrel, covering the circumference of the barrel from the muzzle end for a depth of at least 6 millimeters; OR
Entire Surface Coloration: Coloration of the entire exterior surface of the device in white, bright red, bright orange, bright yellow, bright green, bright blue, bright pink, or bright purple, either singly or as the predominant color in combination with other colors in any pattern.

Please take care when outside or when transporting any form of firearm prop.

Regardless of how realistic the prop may look, ensure that it is completely hidden while traveling and be aware of your surroundings, attire, and the appearance of your props to bystanders when outside of the convention. Do not assume a costume will reassure people that your prop is not a real weapon.

You may display your prop weapons only as costume pieces. Do not swing or brandish your prop weapon in any way that could be considered unsafe or threatening.

You may pose with a prop weapon in a brandishing manner, so long as no reasonable person would interpret it as anything but a pose for dramatic effect. Convention staff or management may stop your posed brandishing in their sole discretion.

Please put your prop weapons away when leaving the event facilities at night so that you don’t receive the attention of local law enforcement. TsumiCon cannot be responsible for any actions taken by local law enforcement agencies, such as detaining and questioning you, if you decide to display or brandish your prop weapons at or outside of the event facilities.

Everyday Items

Items that people normally carry such as umbrellas or walking sticks/canes are permitted within the convention and subject to inspection upon entry.
Lightweight plastic or foam bats, paddles, and clubs are permitted.
Roller skates/blades, skateboards, scooters, go-karts, hoverboards, etc. are not permitted within the event facilities.
Ice Skates are not allowed, even with skate guards attached.
Power tools are not permitted, e.g. chainsaws, drills, or hedge trimmers.

Buying Weapons at the Event

All Prop / Replica Weapons purchased at the convention must remain sealed in its original packaging while at the convention. If you would like to use your Prop / Replica Weapon at the Event, you must submit your item to a “Weapons’ Check” Booth for peace bonding.

Martial Arts Performances and Demos

You may display working martial arts weapons during, and 30 minutes before and after, a performance that has been approved by convention management in advance.

Of course, you must use common sense to avoid harming any person or property. You must conceal or wrap the weapons when transporting them to and from the demonstration, and you must remove the weapons immediately after the demonstration. Convention staff reserves the right to stop any performance or demonstration in their sole discretion.

Law Enforcement Uniformed Costumes

COSTUMES THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OR OTHER EMERGENCY RESPONSE PERSONNEL UNIFORMS ARE NOT PERMITTED AT THE CONVENTION.

It is against the law to impersonate local law enforcement, emergency personnel, or first responders. TsumiCon has the absolute right and sole discretion to decide whether your costume looks too much like one of these uniforms, and to request the removal or modification of that costume. Should you refuse to cooperate, we may expel you from the convention in order to protect the safety and welfare of everyone at the convention.