Failure to comply with the weapons policy may result in expulsion, without refund, from Ai-Kon and the RBC CC. In severe instances, law enforcement may be involved. Misuse of a prop, weapon or any other item, even if it falls within Ai-Kon’s weapons policy may also result in the prop being confiscated and being asked to leave the convention for misconduct.

Please note, that even if an item was approved last year it must be rechecked each year for approval.

All props must be checked by the Ai-Kon prop check staff. If it is not approved, it must be removed from the convention. The prop check area is not a BAG CHECK. Any unapproved prop cannot be left at the booth.

Any weapon, prop or other items which do not meet the criteria, listed below, must be immediately returned to a hotel room, or vehicle for the duration of the convention.

FUNCTIONAL WEAPONS ARE NOT PERMITTED AT AI-KON

Attendees cannot carry or possess any functional weapons at any time during the convention.

The definition of “functional weapon” includes, but is not limited to: firearms and firearm replicas, and ammunition of any and all sorts (BB, pellet, cap, airsoft, gel, paintball guns), bows, crossbows, tasers, explosives, knives, swords (including katanas, bokken and other martial arts style swords), daggers, sword canes, switchblades, fireworks or firecrackers, axes, hatchets, clubs, silly string, martial arts weapons, brass knuckles, whips/chains, pepper spray, baseball bats, mace and any other projectile item, toy or real.

PROJECTILE WEAPONS (Airsoft, Nerf, Bows, Etc)

Any firearm, regardless if they have been rendered inert, had their firing pin removed, and/or barrel filled, are prohibited. 

Replica firearms, and other projectile weapons such as Nerf/Gel/Airsoft are permitted so long as they are not able to be mistaken for a real weapon and are incapable of firing any projectiles, which includes having an orange tip on the muzzle. The determination of this criteria is up to the discretion of the Cosplay Department staff.

Bows and crossbows are only allowed if they are rendered incapable of firing a projectile by replacing the bowstring with non-functional string. Arrows must have blunt tips or be made of soft foam.

Under no circumstances are any weapons permitted to be fired or used while attending the convention. This includes water guns, Nerf, gel, airsoft, caps, etc. Any attendee found using a weapon (replica or not) on convention center premises will have their weapons confiscated, and may face expulsion from Ai-Kon and all future events. 

OTHER PROPS AND WEAPONS GUIDELINE

Props under 50 inches long or wide, and less than 2 inches in thickness may be made out of carved wood materials, plastic, foam or thermoplastics. Wooden dowels are acceptable as cores in foam oversized weapons or staffs. 

Oversized props (larger than the above example) must be constructed of cardboard, foam, balsa or other lightweight material that do not pose a safety hazard to other attendees. Covering a prop with tape or other material does not make the prop safe if it is found in violation of the Weapons/Props Policy by Cosplay Department Staff. 

Please note that oversized props are not allowed within the marketplace venue area. Oversized props may be left at bag check but not at the prop check booth.

Any metal props, replica or otherwise, are prohibited. This includes metal sports equipment such as aluminum bats, components in the construction of props such as metal pipes/curtain rods, as well as kitchen utensils. 

Any prop item containing glass is also prohibited for safety reasons. 

Real sport equipment is prohibited. This includes baseball bats, golf clubs, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks, tennis/badminton rackets, bowling pins, and cricket bats. No paddles of any kind are permitted.

Small signs (no larger than an A2 sized piece of paper) are permitted so long as they do not promote hate, violence, politically charged content, solicitation (including asking for hugs), or contain religious iconography, sexual or lewd activity. All signs must follow all other criteria as set out by the Weapon/Prop Policy. 

Devices that emit sound (portable speakers), light (lasers) or smoke (portable fog machines) or any combination (pyrotechnics/flash paper) may be considered disruptive if used in public spaces. You may be asked to turn the devices off, or leave it at Bag Check, your vehicle, or hotel room.

Mobility aids (canes/crutches/wheelchairs) are always permitted, however items such as bicycles, hoverboards, roller blades, skateboards or drones that are not essential are not permitted.