Official Carrying your blaster in public thread

[OrtharRrith]

That is good advice, although I do not agree with the helmet one, you should not have to show your face to anyone you dont want to, they can ask you to leave, and thats fine. but I draw the line when people tell me how to dress, unless its the police or something.

Many shops in the UK will not serve people who have helmets on. This is due to thieves wearing motorcycle helmets during robberies to hide their faces. Add to this the possability that your carrying a prop weapon and... listen out for the police sirens! It might not happen but I for one am not going to take the risk! People will see the gun and helmet before they realise it's a costume.

 

[zxwing]

We did a pediatrics ward visit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center last weekend. The hospital is located inside a secure Army base in Washington D.C. Besides the concern of getting 10 civilians through the gate with their vehicles, I was really worried about weapons. It turned out that we had absolutely no problems. The gate guards and the hospital military staff were all very enthusiastic about the whole thing. Go figure.

 

[Bull Fett]

Not exactly Star Wars related, but last Halloween me and the wife went out as Freddy vs Jason. I was Jason. I had a full costume on, made kids cry and all. The cops in my town KNEW it was me, and I even had a cop pull up and chit chat with us. He never said a word about the machete replica I had, nor my wife's (as Freddy Krueger) finger blades. They know me well enough in town to know I'm not going to be chopping up teenagers.... or do they? heh heh heh.
But I can see all your points. Just use common sense, is all. Granted, I went out on Halloween night, me, my wife, and our youngest daughter. If I walked around the town at night fully dressed as Jason say, in the middle of April, I might be stopped.

 

[fettsupplies]

Here in Australia,we have some VERY strict gun laws since some loser shot up a bunch of ppl in Tasmania,so my ee-3 rotj barrel slides off the gun,and I cut off the trigger(makes my finger fit it there with the gloves on pretty well too).

If a cop seems like he's going to hassle me,I just hold out the gun in both hands in front of me,like I'm offering it up for inspection.That seems to chill 'em out.....and Aussie coppers are a trigger-happy bunch of lads and lasses,too.......
I use a home-made "orange blaze" plug sometimes,also.

I have a deaf buddie who carries a laminated card on him,when he's in costume,that says "This is a plastic toy,cannot fire,makes no noise,for costuming only"seems to work ok.

 

[bradmcmillan]

<<< FROM New Zealand...
Hi I work with firearms on occasion for films etc wether they are Deactivated props, or firing blank ammunition etc we ALWAYS make a point to ring our local Police headquarters and tell them exactly what we are doing and most importantly ask for an "EVENT NUMBER" which will reference you, your activites, your location and any other pertinant details
such as Firearms or drivers licences...
So if a freaky kook sees you and cries TERRORIST!!!!
to the police the police already know whats up and whos where doing what and why....
Always make a note of who you talked to at the police station: The officers name, Badge number, date and time and of course most important : the event number.
This will help if an officer just approaches you randomly and not from a call out.
You can quickly produce credentials and look like a proffesional thoughtfull individual and avoid lots of silly sounding explanations.
Any call made from said freaked out kook to police will be duly noted and filed against this event number.
The individual caller will be placated and an officer will only be sent out if the occasion calls for it.
Procedure will differ in your own nations so investigate ahead of time so u know what the catch is.

This procedure i have described will be particularly pertinant in U.K for this new bill regarding carrying fake weapons (and therin certain exceptions)

And most certainly in the U.S (kick a towelhead for George dubya)

Remember... in any nation the average joe is irrationally terrified of guns and cant distinguish between a slide action or a revolver or for that matter a Blastech EE-3.
They see a black tube (like on a vacum cleaner) and s*** their pants.
Man fears what he does not understand, it is natural so it is in everybodies interest to inform and educate and show them all that we are not the kooks.

I hope i have been of help.

 

[BANDITZ]

Just thought I'd post this for any UK Fetts

Holding of replica guns in public to be banned
9:23pm Wednesday, 08th January 2003

The Home Secretary has announced the carrying of replica guns and air weapons in public will be banned.

David Blunkett says legislation will be introduced to ban anyone carrying a replica or air weapon "in a public place without a good reason".

The age limit for acquiring and using an air weapon without adult supervision will be increased from 14 to 17, Mr Blunkett said.

The Home Office said the ban would cover anything that looked like a firearm, not just those capable of conversion to live ammunition.

In theory that could see people being arrested for carrying a child's toy or a gun-shaped cigarette lighter if they did not have a "reasonable excuse".

A Home Office spokeswoman said arrests would be down to police officers using their discretion.

The spokeswoman said: "It's about anything that can be mistaken for a firearm. It would come down to the proper use of police officer or judicial discretion and the laws will have to be implemented sensibly by police.

"If someone is waving a cigarette lighter shaped like a firearm at police officers then that is very different from it being used to light a cigarette in a pub."

The Home Office is also looking at a ban on the sale, manufacture and import of weapons, including certain models of Brocock, which can be readily converted to fire live ammunition.

In London, 75% of guns seized are converted imitations or converted blank firers.

Senior officers say many offences recorded as gun crime are carried out with replicas.

So where do we stand with a ROTJ Rifle

Fett-UK

the only way you can carry a gun in the UK...is if ur a drug dealer or a bank robber etc.........but if your a kid with a toy gun or walking to the pub with your pool Q in its case the police will take you down hard.......................

 

[jodo]

I went my local Burger King, Taco Bell and Wal-Mart with my weapons, of corse the retarded BK people wouldnt talk to me,etc. They all came to the front to see me and why evryone stopped doing their jobs, but not one said "cool costume,nice guns,etc."
But anyway I get suited up in BK's parking lot, and walk in, stand in line for a while, get up to the counter and put my rifle on the counter and ask "For a BK chicken sadnwich with extra a extra ranch and bacon." Needless to say, I dount think they knew what they had coming when they didnt give me my ranches.....

So then I was off to Taco Bell, as soon as I walk in, the teenage frat boys hassle me and I keep walking so then Im titled " Deaf man walking" So I get up to the counter and the lady freak out, and it actualy frightened me, and it ends up her boyfriend likes Star Wars and she wanted a picture.

So I walked across the parking lot to the mall, it was opening day for ROTS and I told the manager I was an aspiring 501st member, so I thought Id try my first event so he was realy excited, as was his distrect manger, who actualy traveled 45 miles just to come and see me.
But before it was time for me to come, I went down and walked by all the shops, and finaly went in to the shoe store "Looking for a pair of Pf-229 Mandalore war boots" into which the guy helpinging me started yelling "ITS A MANDALORIAN, A REALY MANDO!" so he wanted a picture, and I went by the Rent-A-Center looking to rent a T-29 A Class Skyhopper, and the guy started a converstaion with me asking about my Jango Fett (Jodo Kast ) costume, if he could buy one, etc and finaly getting down to the movie theater, only to find a ton of obese guys with Star Trek hats on.:facepalm


So the moral of the story is, dont aim at people with your gun.

 

[InfraFett]

When i was 9, I had an Orange Han Solo toy gun. i was outside playing with it and an officer happened to be out there (gee, what are the odds?) and he knew it was only a toy. probably cuz it was orange

 

[BobaN00b]

For going out, I painted the tip of mine orange. Once I put it all back on the mannequin, or in the china cabinet, I will paint it black again. Wow. My 500th post. :cheers

 

[scootch]

I'm wearing mine to Sixth Street in Austin on Halloween this year. It's always a cop-heavy event, but we've been doing it since 1999 with no problems; however, I've made an ESB blaster and it looks a bit...I don't know. What they do is check "weapons" and put a colored sticker on the barrel. I had a friend who went as Padme (in arena clothes with the droid blaster) and they took her blaster away!!! Her freaking plastic droid blaster! So it's always hit and miss, and their attitude seems to vary from year to year.

All I can say is hope for the best and plan for the worst carrying a blaster in public.

 

[chibi fett]

As a quickie to this thread, and being my first, sorry if my reply is outdated or otherwise covered. In Finland where I live, carrying any item (however unlikely) that would be considered as a weapon is illegal. This includes airsoft guns, baseball bats, swords and to the extreme, broomhandles, if they are carried in 'ready to use' form. This legistlation has propably been forced a bit harder in here, as about a year ago, some idiot with serious problems attacked a totally innocent bystander, in the subway, using conceiled axe. The victim died on route to the E.R. Otherwise the legistlation regarding to firearms is pretty strick here, and all firearms must be cleared with the police. The airsoft market has arrived here, about ten years ago or so, and as they are made as close to the original, they do cause problems with the local authorities, and thus (after some trouble with airsoft weapons, involving death) carrying them in public is illegal, even if they are not lethal. A friend of mine, a senior police officer told that after the legistlation was passed, they had confiscated a number of semi and full automatic weapons that were carried in the open. All of these, of course, were airsoft weapons. Nevertheless, it was lucky that the people carrying these 'toy' weapons had half a brain, and no incident was caused. The local police was serious enough, they ordered the group to the ground at gunpoint, with realdeal weapons, cocked and ready to use. And please note that the police in here are not paranoid, gunhappy idiots. Even if this sounds too impossible to be true, read between the lines. This was true. And coming to the point I'm trying to make, please, please! ALLWAYS take the time to call the local authorities, and ask them if there would be any objections on you carrying a non-working toy weapon with you in public. As I'm just finishing my rotj ee-3 blaster, I am going to be VERY carefull in handling and carrying it, in public or otherwise. The point in this being that it is fully functional airsoft weapon that should ALLWAYS be treated as dangerous weapon. I am not letting even my closest friends touch it if I'm not absolutely sure it is unloaded and has no gas inside. AND even then, the safety is on. I'm not even gonna tell anyone where the safety is, for that matter. This may seem as over precaution, but hey, tell me, do you REALLY want to risk losing your weapon for some silly pointless incident. I do not, so I plan to deal the weapon as a REAL weapon, with every conceivable safety issues involved. Thanks for the articles, by the way. I doubt I could have completed my blaster without this site.

 

[spiketg]

i no that in britain u still shouldnt even carry a rifle or gun concealed in a bag as a few years ago the police were caled when some dude was seen carrying a table/chair leg in a bin bag. The armed police arrived and shot the dude when he raised it....

 

[GCNgamer128]

i no that in britain u still shouldnt even carry a rifle or gun concealed in a bag as a few years ago the police were caled when some dude was seen carrying a table/chair leg in a bin bag. The armed police arrived and shot the dude when he raised it....

I've always noticed that if you're a Stormtrooper with a blaster, you're okay, but if you're Fett with your huge rifle, people are a little worried about you. Now if you're Fett with a bunch of Stormtroopers, you've got nothing to worry about.

 

[chibi fett]

I've always noticed that if you're a Stormtrooper with a blaster, you're okay, but if you're Fett with your huge rifle, people are a little worried about you. Now if you're Fett with a bunch of Stormtroopers, you've got nothing to worry about.

That seems reasonable, Fett is more intimidating than a regular stormtrooper (well, that's easy to explain, how many times Fett missed a shot? Compare with stormtroopers. No, do not consider prosents [% how's that spelled]) As I have Aikido in my life, carrying concealed practice weapons to training and home seems a bit difficult. If the weapon's bag reveals it's content, is it illegal. The best that my fellow trainers with sharp Iaido swords have found is floorball or other small hockey bags where no-one can see what you are carrying. You still have to ansver to questions regarding broken blades on your floorboard and hockey stricks, somehow people are capable of detecting this. But, to the point again, DO contact your local police authorities regarding your purpose, and point out that is is a toy replica you are carrying. A while ago, a friend of mine, told that they were stopped by police for carrying a weapon in their car. This open topped jeep carried my friends, and their paintball weapons. The weapons were thrown on the backseat (the guys had a huge hangover, and did not think any better). Well, after they explained things to the police officers, they could go. Some old lady had spotted their paintball weapons and got frightened as she mistook them as real weapons and called the police. You can get yourself out of trouble by talking, but it is best to avoid the troubles in the beginning..

 

[GCNgamer128]

That seems reasonable, Fett is more intimidating than a regular stormtrooper (well, that's easy to explain, how many times Fett missed a shot? Compare with stormtroopers. No, do not consider prosents [% how's that spelled]) As I have Aikido in my life, carrying concealed practice weapons to training and home seems a bit difficult. If the weapon's bag reveals it's content, is it illegal. The best that my fellow trainers with sharp Iaido swords have found is floorball or other small hockey bags where no-one can see what you are carrying. You still have to ansver to questions regarding broken blades on your floorboard and hockey stricks, somehow people are capable of detecting this. But, to the point again, DO contact your local police authorities regarding your purpose, and point out that is is a toy replica you are carrying. A while ago, a friend of mine, told that they were stopped by police for carrying a weapon in their car. This open topped jeep carried my friends, and their paintball weapons. The weapons were thrown on the backseat (the guys had a huge hangover, and did not think any better). Well, after they explained things to the police officers, they could go. Some old lady had spotted their paintball weapons and got frightened as she mistook them as real weapons and called the police. You can get yourself out of trouble by talking, but it is best to avoid the troubles in the beginning..

Yeah, you're right about Fett being more intimidating. Kids normally stand a little farther back when they see me in Boba, and kids are more likey to hide behind their parents when they see the T-Visor.

 

[TeamFett]

TK's are also more well known. When someone sees a stormtrooper they think "look, that Star Wars guy has his space gun". When they see Fett, they might think "that maniac dressed like a power ranger is waving around a gun!"

 

[Dragon Fett]

Hey all, I read most of the replies here. Most were really good.
Having many friends in law enforcement both local and "big time". I feel like putting in my two cents.
The thing we need to remember when we are out in gear is 'Use common sense".
Belive it or not there are some people who have no idea who Star wars characters are. And some who don't care. I know, hard to imagine. I have a friend like that. So one might be walking up to someone who just doesn't get it. Also we are usually around kids. This simple fact can freak parents out, and rightly so. Especailly if it is not at a function. Like walking down the street, in a fast food restaurant.
We need to remember that WE know are intentions are harmless, but no one else does.
When going into places like stores, restaurants etc unanounced it can lead to problems. We are putting the owners/managers of these places at risk. They are responsible for anything that may happen. Its better to clear it with them first. They may not want the attention, it's their right.
And above all else, when approached by law enforcement, don't give them a hassle! They have tough jobs and have to play it safe. Yes some have atthority issues and like to push people around. They are faced with deciding between making the "safe" choice and having something bad happen. Imagine the results if they didn't stop someone with a fett blaster which turned out to be a real gun and they shot someone. They are only doing their job. If WE relax and put them at ease they usually relax. Let them see the prop.
I know when I head out I'm gonna make a removable orange cap for the end of the barrel. That way when I'm at the funtion I can pop it off and putt it back on when I leave.
Always play it safe.

Just my opinion,
D:cheers

 

[GrottyFurball]

yeah, I think fett's are more intimidating because they're the two characters that don't really have a face on their helmets.

 

[1299PC Mandalor]

Hey all, I read most of the replies here. Most were really good.
Having many friends in law enforcement both local and "big time". I feel like putting in my two cents.
The thing we need to remember when we are out in gear is 'Use common sense".
Belive it or not there are some people who have no idea who Star wars characters are. And some who don't care. I know, hard to imagine. I have a friend like that. So one might be walking up to someone who just doesn't get it. Also we are usually around kids. This simple fact can freak parents out, and rightly so. Especailly if it is not at a function. Like walking down the street, in a fast food restaurant.
We need to remember that WE know are intentions are harmless, but no one else does.
When going into places like stores, restaurants etc unanounced it can lead to problems. We are putting the owners/managers of these places at risk. They are responsible for anything that may happen. Its better to clear it with them first. They may not want the attention, it's their right.
And above all else, when approached by law enforcement, don't give them a hassle! They have tough jobs and have to play it safe. Yes some have atthority issues and like to push people around. They are faced with deciding between making the "safe" choice and having something bad happen. Imagine the results if they didn't stop someone with a fett blaster which turned out to be a real gun and they shot someone. They are only doing their job. If WE relax and put them at ease they usually relax. Let them see the prop.
I know when I head out I'm gonna make a removable orange cap for the end of the barrel. That way when I'm at the funtion I can pop it off and putt it back on when I leave.
Always play it safe.

Just my opinion,
D:cheers

I agree with this statement. Working for an agency, you would not believe what we run in to. I cannot give too many details, but there are real guns floating out there that are intentially made out of "plastic" and funky colors to look like toys.

With heightened security nowdays, everyone is being especially vigilent with masked people in a high profile public place carrying any type of possible "weapons."

I admit, some officers do get alittle too excited at certian situations, but to make things easier on you just go along with the program.

Just my opinion...

 

[Ceric Neesh]

I've finished the first version of my custom armor, and I've taken to wearing it in public on a daily basis. I haven't had any problems yet, simply because I took the time to go to the police station (and the main sheriff's office) with the armor and weapons in a bin, and met with a senior officer (the police chief, and the guy who reports directly to the head honcho at the sheriff's office, IDK what they're called over there) at both places, and showed them all of my stuff, from the blasters to the armor to the fabric pieces. I now have an actual photo ID that I can show any police officer or sheriff that basically gets them to leave me alone, no questions asked. Between that, and the fact that I'm a common sight riding around town on my repainted motorcycle (that matches the armor that I wear while riding it), I haven't had anyone say anything to me yet.

I don't know how well it would work for some larger cities with multiple police districts, each with their own rules and sanctions regarding this kind of stuff, but it worked fine for me.