WEAPONS RULES

By participating in FACTS 2009, to be held on October 17th and 18th 2009 in Flanders Expo, Ghent, Belgium (hereinafter: “FACTS 2009”), you hereby automatically and unconditionally undertake to abide by the following rules (hereinafter: “the Rules”):

1. Legislation. You undertake to uphold the applicable legislation (national and local) at any given time. Should any contradiction exist between the present Rules and any applicable legislation, the latter will always have precedence.

2. Instructions. Should you receive any instruction and/or request by any public authority representative (policeman, fireman, etc.), by any representative and/or guardian of Flanders Expo and/or by any crew member of FACTS 2009 in relation to the weapon(s) you carry, you will immediately comply therewith.

3. Categories. Weapons are divided in three categories:
1. Real firearms (even unloaded), fire weapons (e.g. flame throwers), weapons created for military use, jack knives, flick knives, knives used for throwing, firearms which resemble another object than a weapon (e.g. a firearm hidden in a walking stick), electro shock weapons, knuckledusters, non historical sword sticks, self defense sprays, nunchakus and silencers are hereinafter called: “the Forbidden Weapons”.
2. Objects which are clearly meant to be toys for children up to 14 years of age (e.g. a plastic fake gun in bright orange); objects which bear no similarity with real weapons whatsoever (e.g. a light saber from Star Wars, a phaser from Star Trek); swords which are not mentioned in section 3.1. are hereinafter referred to as “the Authorized Weapons”.
3. Replica weapons which are no Forbidden Weapons, but which cannot be considered to be an Authorized Weapon (e.g. a firearm which has been disabled and which resembles the weapons used in Stargate) can only be used on stage (e.g. as part of the cos’ play competition) or in a closed section of the fan village. They are hereinafter referred to as “the Stage Weapons”.
4. Should you have any doubt as to the category your weapon belongs to, please mention this as the cashier’s till where you will be sent to the competent person to help you out. Until this person has told you to which category your weapon belongs, you cannot remove it from its closed package. The FACTS forum will contain pictures of certain weapons and the categories to which they belong.

4. Use. Different rules apply to each category of weapons:
1. It is strictly forbidden to bring any Forbidden Weapon to FACTS 2009 and/or to use it and/or to expose it. Forbidden Weapons will be seized.
2. Authorized Weapons can be carried around inside the Flanders Expo premises. It is however forbidden to carry Authorized Weapons outside the Flanders Expo premises. During your transportation to and from the Flanders Expo premises you always have to carry the Authorized Weapons in a closed package (e.g. a sealed sports bag). It is also strictly forbidden to use the Authorized Weapons in a threatening, menacing or otherwise dangerous way inside or outside Flanders Expo’s premises. Authorized Weapons which have been abandoned will be seized.
3. Stage Weapons can be used on stage as well as in a booth inside the fan village provided this booth is not accessible to the public. You cannot carry them around on FACTS 2009 however.   During your transportation to and from the Flanders Expo premises you always have to carry the Stage Weapons in a closed package (e.g. a sealed sports bag). When you are not on stage or in a booth in the fan village the Stage Weapons have to be put in a place where they cannot be seen nor accessed by the public. It is also strictly forbidden to use the Stage Weapons in a threatening, menacing or otherwise dangerous way inside or outside Flanders Expo’s premises. Stage Weapons which have been abandoned will be seized.

5. Measures. FACTS 2009 reserves itself the right to take any and all measures which would be required to guarantee the public safety, including but not limited to seizing any weapons which would be used in violation of the present Rules.