Weapons/Prop Guidelines

Last updated: 08/08/2024

Definition of a Weapon

For this policy the term “weapon” is defined as: Any item that is able to cause damage or personal injury. This includes adapted and intended items. For the purposes of these guidelines the term Weapon can be swapped for Prop interchangeably.

General Rules

• The authority about all weapon-related questions lies with the Head of Con Ops
• There is no right to carry a weapon at the convention
• All weapons must be examined and logged with Con Ops, who will decide upon clearance based on this weapons policy and their own assessment and knowledge about the requesting guest
• Any weapons that have not been logged and cleared by Con Ops for the year of attendance are not permitted in convention spaces
• Clearance for a weapon does not transfer between years, all weapons must be checked each attendance year and items previously permitted are not guaranteed clearance when assessed again for a different year
• All weapons not covered by this policy can only be allowed in exceptional cases. Please contact [email protected] for further advice pre-convention or check with Con Ops in their office at the convention
• All accepted weapons will be marked after being checked in an appropriate way (with a bright colour coded cable-tie)
• Clearance markings made by other conventions and events may be removed at the time of clearance by a member of Con Ops
• An accepted weapon may be required to be peace-bound
• Tampering with a peace-binding or a weapon’s marking will invalidate the clearance for the weapon immediately
• Attendees must show their clearance cable tie when requested by any member of the Confuzzled team
• Any damage to the clearance cable tie must be reported to Con Ops, a new cable tie will be applied by a member of Con Ops and the damage may be logged
• The Con Ops Team, and the Head of Con Ops reserve the right to deny or revoke acceptance or to require a weapon to be peace-bound at any point and for any reason

Note: While it is not acceptable for attendees to carry metal replica hand weapons (e.g. re-enactment weapons) or replica firearms deemed too realistic in the convention space, as per the whitelist and blacklist below, attendees wanting to pose with such props in the official fursuit photoshoot can carry the props in a secure container to the photoshoot and back. Use of these ‘Photoshoot Only’ weapons/props outside of this clearance will invalidate this clearance entirely. The attendee is still required to declare the items at Con Ops so they may be logged as approved for that purpose. No concessions can be made for airsoft guns.

Any decision about accepting or denying a weapon can be overridden by the Head of Con Ops.

Basic Rule

Weapons are ONLY acceptable if:

they are considered harmless and are intended and used as part of a costume

OR

they are intended and used as a tool that has a reasonable use at the convention

Whitelist

The following weapons are generally acceptable:

Tools

Tools don’t have to be marked, however there must be justifiable reason to have one at the convention e.g. Multi-tool in Dealers Den to set up displays. Con Ops will ask the intended purpose of the tool, note the owners name and badge number, take an image of the tool and remind the owner of safe and appropriate usage during logging.

• Multitools (Leatherman, Gerber, Victrinox, etc.) with or without blades. No blade may be longer than 10cm
• Multi-function (with at least one other tool or gadget beside a blade) pocket knives. No blade must be longer than 10cm

Tools which are not cleared will be requested to not leave an attendees room and may be marked with a colour coded cable tie.

“Bladed” Weapons – General Restrictions

• Solid core LARP weapons, e.g. Metal or PVC cores, are only permitted with sufficient foam padding
• No sharp edges, sharp points or spikes
• No wooden weapons (e.g. Bokken, practice swords etc.) with the exception of those cleared by Con Ops prior to the convention for use during specific events

Items with prior clearance must be presented to Con Ops to be given their clearance tag, or are subject to having their clearance revoked.

Short, “Bladed” Weapons

All “bladed” weapons with less than 40cm/15.7” total length (including the handle) are considered short, e.g. LARP daggers/knives/axes, plastic daggers/knives/axes etc.

Long, “Bladed” Weapons

All “bladed” weapons that exceed 40cm/15.7” total length (including the handle) are considered long, e.g. LARP Swords/Spears/Pikes, Plastic Swords/Spears/Pikes etc.

Blunt Weapons

Weapons of any length without a definable “blade” are considered blunt e.g. LARP Maces, Flails, Clubs, Morning Stars, Bats etc.

Projectile Weapons

• Water pistols, rifles and blasters (May only be used outside and with caution)
• Bubble guns (May only be used outside and with caution)
• NERF-Guns and identically constructed foam-dart-weapons (With zero modifications to the firing mechanism) with bright coloured muzzle tips

1. Projectile weapons must not be loaded indoors
2. Discharging any projectile weapon indoors invalidates the weapons clearance immediately
3. Any projectile weaponry must be strength tested for safety by a member of Con Ops during clearance
4. If an item cannot be strength tested it is subject to peace-binding to prevent it from being fired, if peace-binding is not possible then the item will be refused clearance
5. Ammunition for testing must be provided by the attendee

The Con Ops team and Confuzzled do not accept liability for any damage to an item that occurs during a test firing as a result of improper ammunition or any modifications made by the owner of the item.

Armour/Shields, Accessories, Clothing Items, Other

Most items of this type are generally okay provided they do not fall under any of the restrictions from the Blacklist and will usually not need to be cleared by Con Ops. An item in this category will need to be checked and cleared if it meets any of the following criteria;

• Spikes anywhere on the item
• Sharp edges anywhere on the item
• Metal or Wood construction anywhere on or within the item
• Suggestive or questionable content
• Is a harness or has a visible harness
• Has any electrical components or batteries
• Has or contains realistic weaponry as a part of the design e.g. grenades on a vest, ammo belts etc.

Blacklist

These weapons and items are not acceptable, even as part of a costume.

• All offensive and defensive weapons that are illegal under UK law
• Any live firearm (including airsoft)
• All sharp blades exceeding a blade-length of 10cm
• All locking blades (including multitool blades if they lock into place)
• All pointy weapons if they are sturdy enough to penetrate naked skin
• All metal replica hand weapons (e.g. re-enactment swords)
• All items made of unsafe materials (e.g. Unsealed latex, glass) whether in full or in part
• Any weapons which project a laser
• Any item made with real fur or animal skins
• Sex toys

Realistic looking weapons, regardless of construction material may not be cleared. As a general guide, if it could be mistaken for an actual weapon Con Ops may decide the risk is too high to clear it.

To avoid disappointment please check prior to the convention by emailing [email protected]

Definition of Peace-Binding

Peace-binding in the context of these guidelines is a process to render an item safe in a non-permanent manner. This may be achieved in one of the following ways;

1. Securing a weapon in a holster/carrier with cable ties, tape or any other method
2. Preventing the firing of a weapon by blocking the firing mechanism, e.g. preventing the pull-back of a trigger, obstructing the barrel of a weapon
3. Securing a weapon to a display or piece of clothing/other prop
4. Any other method to prevent the use of a weapon

Peace-binding is a temporary measure which can be removed after the convention, and should cause no harm to the item that is being peace-bound.