FanFest Cosplay Inquiry

[TahlaC]

Okay, I know the rules say no firearms, but I'd really like to bring a child sized bow/arrow set for a prop. It's technically functional and the arrows have rubber tips. Not to mention I have no desire to shoot anything. Is it possible for me to use them as a prop? If not the set, just the bow?

Thanks!

[Nyalia]

If they let you bring the bow, don't bring the arrows. That's just asking for trouble, even with rubber tips. Conventions are crowded, and you may be tempted to pose with an arrow nocked, and even with kids' bows (I'm assuming 25 lb draw?) and rubber-tipped arrows, if overpulled and at point blank range, that can cause some damage.

When I played a boffer LARP that allowed kids' bows, the arrows we used were boffer arrows. There was a core of PVC with 50+% of the PVC covered in closed-cell foam (the "hard" foam used for pipe insulation) that extended 2" past the tip, and with a 2" open-cell foam (the really squishy stuff) tip on the end of that. And those STILL could cause bruises if overpulled at point-blank range if they hit head-on (or if the temperature was below zero).

And if they let you bring a bow and you don't bring arrows, don't dry-fire the bow, especially not if your costume doesn't include a leather wristguard on your off-hand. Unless you like rope-burn and bleeding, that is.

If they don't let you bring a bow, which is probably for the best, why not make a boffer bow prop (PVC heat-bent into a bow shape and covered with closed-cell foam, used with thrown packet "arrows" and not ones you actually fire) with no string? I don't see how they can object to that, given it can't be used as a weapon.