Weapon and Costume Policy

Ohayocon PROHIBITS the following:

• Weapons prohibited under Ohio law. All federal, state, and city statues are in full effect.
• Real firearms (working, disabled, or otherwise) (e.g. rifles, shotguns, hand guns, BB guns, etc.) and ammunition of any and all sorts. All gun replicas must have an orange cap at the nozzle per law.
• Projectile weapons (e.g. pellet guns, airsoft rifles, disc guns, cap guns, silly string, etc.).
• Water pistols or other liquid "weapons."
• LIVE STEEL. This includes any metal weapon that can be sharpened to an edge. Examples include, but are not limited to: swords (e.g. katana, wakizashi/kodachi, tanto), pudao, kwan dao, miao dao, kama, sword canes, knives, daggers, stilettos, switchblades, axes, hatchets, tomahawks, scythes, etc. This also includes shuriken (throwing stars and darts) and other throwing weapons as well as sharp costume accessories (e.g. sharp metal wings, spikes, etc.).
• SIGNS, whether carried or worn, that advertise services in exchange for goods or other favors are considered panhandling OR advertise exchange any sort of sexual favor (kisses, hugs, glomps, etc.) are considered solicitation. Any form of solicitation or panhandling is strictly prohibited. Examples include, but are not limited to: Will Glomp for Pocky, Hugs for ___, Need Hugs, Glomp Me.
• Inline skates (e.g. Rollerblades), roller skates, Togo skates, sneaker skates (e.g. Heelys), and the like may not be worn (or in the case of sneaker skates/Heelys, cannot be worn as a skate, only a sneaker).
• Laser pointers, laser-aiming devices, or similar devices.
• Any other potentially harmful weapon/prop as determined by Ohayocon Staff.

Ohayocon ALLOWS the following:

• Replica weapons made of wood, foam, plastic, resin, fiberglass, or other craft materials provided said items are not sharp and do not pose a danger to others. This includes replica martial arts weapons of any kind (must not be made of metal).
• Bokken, shinai, nunchaku, sai, escrima, tonfa, staff, bo, jo, fighting fans, jutte, and other practice weapons (made from wood or other non-metal material) such as kama, katana, wakizashi/kodachi, tanto, pudao, kwan dao, miao dao, etc.
• Bows and crossbows, however arrows must be kept in a quiver and only if arrow tips are removed.
• Cosplay props such as gourds, wings, musical instruments, etc.
• SIGNS, whether carried or worn, that are clearly understood and established part of a costume (e.g. sign carried by Genma the panda, Menchi with a list of nutritional information) OR that serves a reasonable purpose (e.g. advertising an event, showing a group where to meet) AND has been approved by Con Ops.

Costume considerations:

• Costumes must be "street-legal" and suitable for all audiences as Ohayocon is an all-ages convention. If you would be stopped on the street for indecency, then it is most likely not appropriate. No less than the bikini area (NOT thongs or g-strings) should be showing. This is an all-ages convention; keep that in mind. If you are found wearing a costume that may be prone to malfunctions (i.e. potentially showing body parts not deemed suitable for public display), you will be asked to prove to Ohayocon Staff that such malfunctions will not happen.
• No bare feet allowed! Must wear footwear at all times (soles of feet must be covered at minimum).
• Must be kept to a manageable size. Should not extend 1'6" to the right, left, front, back, or above the person UNLESS it can be folded up or otherwise contained, or have the assistance of a handler, while navigating hallways. This applies to wings, tails, weapons/props, etc. Be aware of your costume and props at all times.
• Must have a clear line of sight at all times. Being only able to see through a tiny eye slot does NOT constitute a clear line of sight. If this is unavoidable, cosplayer MUST have a handler with him/her at all times.

For the safety of all please observe the following:

Approved items will be tagged and you will be permitted to carry the item. If not approved, you will be asked to remove it from the convention premises. Attendees should take such items immediately to their hotel room or off convention property. Ohayocon Staff is not able to pre-approve weapons and props before the convention. A determination can only be made after actually handling and inspecting the object in question.

ABSOLUTELY NO MOCK FIGHTING! Weapons or props may NOT be wielded or brandished in a reckless manner that could cause harm. "Brandishing" is the handling of any item for the purpose of real or implied threat, or any act that may cause anyone to believe that the intent was there, real or implied. The intent is irrelevant and will be treated as assault upon another person. If you are caught using any item in such a manner it WILL be confiscated and repeated offenses could include ejection from the convention without refund. If you are posing for a photo, you are permitted to hold out your weapon or prop, but remember, posing does NOT require you to move! Again, please be aware of your surroundings.

Also please be courteous of other attendees and ensure your props to not impede the flow of traffic in the hallways, panel rooms, or dealer's room. Please move out of the flow of traffic when posing for pictures. Please do not wave props around or point them at people.

All confiscated items will be marked with the attendee's name and badge number and held until the closing of Ohayocon on Sunday afternoon where they may be claimed by presenting identification such as the Ohayocon Badge containing the number they are stored under.

Weapons purchased in the Dealer's Room, whether real or replica, must be peace bonded, kept wrapped, and immediately removed from the premises.

Revised 09.17.07