A man attending the Phoenix Comicon last week was apprehended and found to be armed with four loaded (real) guns, (real) ammunition and a (real) knife. Police had received a tip after the man bragged on Facebook of his intention to (really) kill a number of (real) police officers.
The convention has now announced that henceforth, it shall ban all costume prop weapons, including swords, sabers and fake guns. As reported here, a lot of people are outraged, saying that those props are an integral part of their costumes. They will boycott, protest, demand refunds, etc., and take their light sabers elsewhere.
I don't have a lot of feeling about this matter but to those debating it, I'd like to toss out two points — one perhaps trivial, one not. We'll start with the trivial one…
- Based on my own, non-scientific observations at conventions, I'd say more than 95% of the cosplayers and very nice and responsible and their cosplaying is fun and entertaining and sometimes beautiful. But a couple of percent of them are real pains and sometimes dangerous. A few of them think that if someone says, "Hey, can I get a photo of you?," they have an inalienable right to pose anywhere they want, blocking aisles, getting in others' way, swinging their swords or weaponry without worrying about who they might gouge or stick. It's been years since I've been to a con and not seen one of them stab someone — occasionally, me — or knock over a small child (I mean that literally) because nothing matters to them besides posing. If a serious injury to someone hasn't happened yet, it's only a matter of time…and it's relevant to this discussion.
- Here's the non-trivial one: The man who apparently wanted to open fire on the premises with real ammo was only caught because he'd been reckless enough to post his mission on Facebook. If he hadn't, there might have been actual shots fired in that convention center. And if that had happened, the discussion about banning ray-guns and Star Wars scimitars would be a very different debate. Yeah, it's never happened but this close is too close.
Like I said, I don't really know what I would do if it were up to me. I think it's a shame for all the responsible cosplayers to have their acts diminished. It would be a bigger shame by an incalculable magnitude if someone got shot. I'm glad I don't have to decide what to do about this.