General Rules and Guidance

Scotiacon is always very excited to see how creative everyone gets with their Costumes, Props and Cosplays each and every year and how excited you all get for the themes, however certain rules must be followed to allow everyone to have as much fun as they can in a safe and controlled environment.

Prop weapons may be allowed under the following conditions:

• As part of a costume
• As part of a game/show/event
• As a personal tool if there is a reasonable need for it during the convention.
• They are considered harmless

The authority for all weapon-related questions lies with the Head of Security and event management. Please direct any queries about this guidance to [email protected] and a member of the Security Team will get back to you at the earliest opportunity.

Carrying of props/weapons is a privilege afforded by the convention and is not an absolute right. The Scotiacon security team reserves the right to revoke permission to carry an item if the item or actions of the user are deemed to be placing people, including the user, at unnecessary risk. All prop weapons must be examined and logged with the Security Team at convention, who will decide authorisation based on the guidelines given within this policy, and their own professional assessment. Items will be logged onto the Scotiacon Prop Database alongside any restriction instructions which will be clearly explained to the owner at the time.

All items not covered by this policy can only be allowed in exceptional cases. Please contact the Welfare Team for further advice.

All accepted prop weapons will be marked and documented after passing relevant checks. This will typically be done through use of a coloured cable-tie, any restrictions will be explained to you at the time.

An accepted weapon may be required to be peace-bound (I.e. a nerf gun prevented from firing, or prop sword secured within it’s sheath. Tampering with the peace-binding or other tag will invalidate the clearance for the weapon immediately.

The Security team, and Head of Security reserve the right to deny or revoke acceptance or to require a weapon to be peace-bound at any point and for any reason.

Any decision about accepting or denying a weapon can be overridden by the Head of Security, Head of Welfare or Event Directors.

Approved Item Types

Tools

Tools do not require marking tags, but are required to be checked and added to the database. The owner's name and badge number will be logged. Authorisation for tools is for their intended purpose only, not for carrying around as props or toys, generally reserved for Convention Staff and Volunteers with legitimate requirements (I.e. Tech/AV Crew, Logistics Crew, etc).

• 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

Short “Bladed” weapons

“Bladed” weapons shorter than 40cm (15.7inches) total length (including handles) are considered short items.

• LARP Daggers (Foam, or foam covered)
• LARP Knives (Foam, or foam covered)
• Plastic Daggers (With no sharp edge, and not sturdy or pointy enough to cause injury at moderate force)
• Plastic Knives (With no sharp edge, and not sturdy or pointy enough to cause injury at moderate force)

Long “Bladed” Weapons

Bladed” weapons with a length that exceeds 40cm (15.7inches) total length (Including handles) are considered long items.

• LARP Swords (Foam, or foam covered)
• LARP Axes (Foam, or foam covered)
• LARP Spears (Foam, or foam covered)
• LARP Pikes (Foam, or foam covered)
• Wooden long-weapons, training swords, etc - (These weapons must be peacebound within case/holster/sheath, if not being used in an event supervised or authorised by security.

Blunt Weapons

• LARP Maces (Foam, or foam covered)
• LARP Clubs (Foam, or foam covered)
• LARP Flails (Foam, or foam covered)
• LARP Morning Stars (Foam, or foam covered)

Projectile Weapons

• Water Pistols/Rifles - May only be used outside, with appropriate caution and not used on anyone without consent.
• NERF Guns or similar foam-dart weapons.

Projectile Weapons must not be loaded indoors. Discharge of any projectile weapons indoors, and not within an authorised event (if provided) invalidates clearance immediately. NERF-Guns (or similar) may be required to have their magazine removed whilst indoors.

Please note, if ammunition is not provided by the owner at the time of inspection, the weapon will be required to be peacebound such that it is unable to be fired.

Replica / Look-Alike Toy Firearms

Not-live firearm replicas made of plastic (if the muzzle is closed with a bright-coloured cap and the item does not appear life-like to a casual observer)

Forbidden Items

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

• All offensive weapons that come under the definitions of:
  • Prevention of Crime Act 1953
  • Criminal Justice Act 1988
  • Offensive Weapons Act 2019
  • Other relevant legislation not listed above
• All live firearms (including airsoft)
• All sharp blades exceeding a blade-length of 10cm
• All locking blades (including multitool blades if they lock into place)
• All pointed weapons if they are sturdy enough to penetrate naked skin
• All metal replica hand weapons (e.g. reenactment swords)

Please be aware that if these items are seen at the convention, the police may be called and your attendance/membership immediately and permanently revoked.

Item Tagging and Peacebinding

Unless exempted, all items that are checked by the Security Team will be tagged by means of a coloured cable tie. Where possible this will be fitted in a discreet position where it can be checked on request but won’t interfere with photo opportunities.

Items are tagged into three categories:

1. Approved - No restrictions to their use or carry in the event space
2. Photoshoot/Events - Item is only authorised for photoshoot only and may only be carried to and from the official photoshoot or authorised event(s)
3. Restricted - Items with a red tag have specific restrictions to that item, which are to be logged in the item database and explained to the item owner.

Items marked as “RESTRICTED” may be subject to peace-binding. In practice this may mean for example that a Replica Sword is locked into its sheath, a NERF-Gun is prevented from firing or a toy firearm is locked into a holster.

Final Word

The above lists are not exhaustive and are subject to change based on requirements, venue request or changes to national legislation