In a move that echoes changes at the New York Comic Con, Florida Supercon and others, the popular Denver Comic Con will ban all prop and costume weapons in 2017.
No realistic firearms of any kind, regardless of whether they’re metal, plastic, rubber, resin or wood, will be permitted on the grounds of the event, organizers said Thursday.
“This change in policy will make the jobs of police and our private security officers easier — any realistic weapon will be identified as a potential threat — and as a result, make you safer,” the Comic Con said in an unsigned statement. “The change in policy isn’t because we think our cosplayers are prone to violence, it’s because a hall full of prop firearms makes it difficult to discern threats from targets in the event of an actual shooting.”
The 2016 Denver Comic Con, which drew more than 100,000 pop-culture fans to the Colorado Convention Center June 17-19, featured comic-book artists, panels, gaming sessions and hundreds of vendors, but one of the most visible draws was the cosplay scene.
“We understand (and sympathize — we geek out on Deadpool and the Punisher, too) that this will impact some popular costumes,” the Con said in its statement. “Other props, such as foam or plastic bats, swords, hammers and shields are still encouraged provided they fall within the existing polices.”
The Denver Comic Con also encouraged attendees to “keep it PG” in order to preserve the nonprofit event’s family-friendly environment, and clarified its position on military costumes (“If your costume could be mistaken for current military or law enforcement, it is prohibited”), nudity, hate symbols and more.
The Comic Con’s full weapons policy can be read online at popcultureclassroom.org.
