Weapons and Props Policy
Fangaea is a family-friendly event, and the rules regarding weapons are designed to keep everyone safe.
Fangaea is committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all persons attending the event. Any item that Fangaea believes may be a weapon must be immediately taken to Prop Check for examination. Weapons and props that Fangaea determines are admissible will be marked with a special tag and may be brought into all Fangaea event spaces. Any weapon that Fangaea considers to be inadmissible must be immediately removed from the event.
Failure to respect any of the weapon rules may result in any or all of the following:
- Confiscation of weapon or prop, without return;
- Loss of admission to Fangaea without refund;
- The involvement of law enforcement agencies.
Some weapons sold by Exhibitors are prohibited and are subject to the procedures in the Special Circumstances section below.
Admissible Weapons/Props are weapon(s) that have been examined at Prop Check and is permitted to be brought into Fangaea. A small special tag will be affixed to the weapon to identify it as admissible.
Prop Check is the area at Fangaea where all items that may be considered to be weapons are inspected by Fangaea and determined to be either prohibited or admissible.
Prohibited Weapons and Props
- Firearms of any kind;
- Brass knuckles or metal chains;
- Knives/blades or metal swords;
- Cane swords, umbrella swords, or similar items;
- Crossbows, pellet guns, air pistols, Nerf or similar type of foam gun, or any weapon that propels or has projectiles;
- Replica firearms made from metal, solid resin/plastic/rubber;
- Baseball bats, cricket bats, and hockey sticks
- Skateboards, rollerblades, roller skates, unicycles, bicycles, hoverboards, scooters, pogo sticks, spring shoes, jumping shoes, kangaroo shoes, and similar devices;
- Wooden, plastic, and metal armor and/or shields that contain sharp medal edges; metal, wood, or hard plastic spikes, or other protrusions;
- Nunchucks, tonfas, shurikens, or other martial arts weapons; and,
- Law enforcement items such as batons, tasers, or mace.
Costume swords are admissible if they are secured in such a fashion that they cannot be drawn.
Weapons and Prop Procedure
- Fangaea reserves the right to require that any item entering the convention, or which is found to be anywhere within the event, be made available at any time for examination by Fangaea staff to determine the item’s status.
- Any item that Fangaea determines may be a weapon must be immediately taken to Prop Check for examination. Weapons that already have a tag may be re-sent to Prop Check to validate the tag. Fangaea staff may escort the weapon to Prop Check.
- Admissible weapons will have a small identifying tag affixed to the weapon. The tag must remain on the weapon for the duration of the convention. Tampering, altering or removing the tag during the convention may result in the weapon being determined as prohibited and/or the removal of the person from the convention.
- Prohibited weapons must be immediately removed from the convention center. They cannot be stored at Prop Check.
- Any inappropriate behavior with a weapon, which puts the safety of any person or property at risk, will not be tolerated.
- Failure to respect these requirements may result in the weapon being confiscated without return.
Special Circumstances for Prohibited Weapons Purchased from Exhibitors
Prohibited weapons on display and/or being sold by Exhibitors must be safely secured to the display surface if they are within reach of attendees (i.e. attendees must not be able to pick up the weapons). As part of normal shopping behavior, attendees are permitted to handle prohibited weapons – but must remain under the direct supervision of the Exhibitor.
Exhibitors may only display (including under the counter displays and items stored out of sight) or sell weapons or any other items that are permitted to be sold by all applicable laws and regulations and only to persons who are legally entitled to purchase and/or possess the weapon or item.
The display or sale of prohibited (illegal) weapons or items may result in an Exhibitor being removed from the convention and/or other actions deemed appropriate by Fangaea.
Exhibitor Demos
For safety reasons, Exhibitors must not conduct demonstrations of prohibited weapons or other items in the aisles or other similar areas. Such demonstrations should be conducted behind the counter, table or within the allotted booth space, and must be supervised by the Exhibitor.
Exhibitor Sales of Prohibited Weapon Item
Once a weapon has been sold, it must be securely wrapped in thick paper or cardboard and cannot be taken out of such packaging at the convention. Exhibitors must remind the attendees buying weapons that if they are found opening the packaging on the convention hall floor, the weapon in question will be confiscated. It is the Exhibitor’s responsibility to inform attendees of the requirement to keep their purchased weapons securely wrapped while at the convention.
Admissible Items Purchased from Exhibitors
The Exhibitor must inform the attendee purchasing the weapon to bring said weapon or item to the Prop Check at the entrance and have it tagged as an admissible weapon. Exhibitors are required to explain to attendees that if the weapon is not tagged, they may be confiscated.
If you have any questions regarding the Weapons Policy, please contact Fangaea prior to the event via our Contact page.