This policy is in effect to provide a safe and fun Environment for Anime Boston Attendees, Guests and Staff/Security.
Please adhere to the following rules and regulations.
Anyone not following the rules and regulations will be dealt with on site by Anime Boston Staff/Security.

Brief Overview:

Anime Boston prohibits the following:

• Weapons prohibited under Massachusetts Law & MCCA/Hynes policy
• Real guns (working, disabled, or otherwise)
• Practice swords including bokens and kendo bamboo practice swords
• Chains, Leashes, Spikes,Whips (metal or leather leashes, dog collars attached to humans)
• Metal blades (knives, swords, sharp wings, etc.)
• Projectile weapons (pellet guns, airsoft rifles, pistols, disc guns, paintball markers, etc.) Loaded water pistols or other liquid "weapons"
• Any other potentially harmful weapon/prop as determined by Anime Boston Security.
• Laser pointers, laser-aiming devices, or similar devices, may not be used in public, unless you are officially sanctioned to lead or present a convention seminar, workshop, display, or other convention-sanctioned event in which a laser is needed.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT CARRY FAKE GUNS OUTSIDE THE CONVENTION CENTER! The Boston Police Department will treat anyone carrying realistic looking guns as a REAL THREAT AND WILL TAKE SERIOUS ACTION! Anime Boston will not be held liable for any injury, incarceration, or death that may result from violation of this rule. If you have a prop that meets this description and you would like to bring it to Anime Boston, please carry it to the convention center in a bag. In this day and age you can not be too careful. Again PLEASE use common sense.

Security 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.

If you have any questions, please contact Security.

Full Policy:

MCCA Policy (Hynes Convention Center)

MCCA (Hynes) Weapons Policy (Page C12 of the Event Guide): "Weapons of any type, functional or non-functional, such as firearms, swords, knives, throwing knives, crossbows, stars, bows, boomerangs, darts, tazers, etc. are strictly prohibited within MCCA facilities. The MCCA reserves the right to revoke the use of replica weapons within MCCA facilities at anytime, without warning."

Massachusetts Law
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269, Section 10, Paragraph B:

Whoever, except as provided by law, carries on his person, or carries on his person or under his control in a vehicle, any stiletto, dagger or a device or case which enables a knife with a locking blade to be drawn at a locked position, any ballistic knife, or any knife with a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any mechanism, dirk knife, any knife having a double-edged blade, or a switch knife, or any knife having an automatic spring release device by which the blade is released from the handle, having a blade of over one and one-half inches, or a sling shot, blowgun, blackjack, metallic knuckles or knuckles of any substance which could be put to the same use with the same or similar effect as metallic knuckles, nunchaku, zoobow, also known as klackers or kung fu sticks, or any similar weapon consisting of two sticks of wood, plastic or metal connected at one end by a length of rope, chain, wire or leather, a shuriken or any similar pointed star like object intended to injure a person when thrown, or any armband, made with leather which has metallic spikes, points or studs or any similar device made from any other substance or a cestus or similar material weighted with metal or other substance and worn on the hand, or a manrikigusari or similar length of chain having weighted ends; or whoever, when arrested upon a warrant for an alleged crime, or when arrested while committing a breach or disturbance of the public peace, is armed with or has on his person, or has on his person or under his control in a vehicle, a billy or other dangerous weapon other than those herein mentioned and those mentioned in paragraph (a), shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years in the state prison, or for not less than six months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction, except that, if the court finds that the defendant has not been previously convicted of a felony, he may be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars or by imprisonment for not more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.

Anime Boston Staff will ask any attendee found in possession of a potential weapon, that has not been peace bonded by Security, to take it to Security Headquarters for approval. Anyone who has a weapon or prop that could possibly viewed as dangerous (even a little bit) needs to visit Security headquarters to have it approved and, if necessary, peace bound.

Peace bonding means that you allow us to put a bright-colored plastic tie on your "weapon" indicating that it has been judged relatively harmless and/or is being bound into a holder of some sort that renders it so. These ties can only be removed by cutting them, making it obvious if tampering should occur, Security will deal with repeated offenses accordingly, up to and including ejection from the convention without refund.

Any weapons that are not approved and/or cannot be peace bound, will be held in the AB Security headquarters office until you leave the convention or can be stored in the safety of your hotel room or vehicle. Each item will be judged individually.

Horseplay of any kind, whether participants are consenting parties or not, with weapons will not be tolerated. All persons involved may be penalized depending upon the nature or severity of the offense. All complaints of behavior of this nature will be dealt with immediately by Anime Boston Staff/Security.