Badges, Costume Weapons to Be Checked at Comic-Con 2012

Note to Comic-Con 2012 fans: be prepared to show your photo identification at any time when entering this year's convention.

Not only will attendees need to show photo identification when they pick up their badges on Wednesday, July 11, but there will be random checks throughout the weekend.

Comic-Con 2012 Director of Marketing and Public Relations, David Glanzer, said his staff will work to avoid delays for the thousands entering the event but with a lot of people duplicating badges, there is a need to increase badge security.

“Security has been very, very good about seeing counterfeit badges but at the end of the event, you may 10 or 15 badges with one person’s name used multiple times,” he said.

Cosmic Cube, Phaser or light saber? They’re approved providing, of course, that they are non-functioning.

The Good Samaritan from Hellboy? It had better be a prop replica and the owner will have to wear a wristband handed out by security.

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Any costume sword must be tied to your costume in such a way that it cannot be drawn. So, there will be no more posing for pictures on the convention floor with your raised sword and a severed head.

All costume weapons are to be inspected at a Weapons Check Desk in Lobby E and must conform to state and federal law.

Any projectile costume weapons must be rendered inoperable. Read the entire weapons policy here.

Despite the event’s size, violent incidents at the annual San Diego tradition and convention of pop culture are rare.

Two years ago, a man was arrested after he began to argue with another man for sitting too close to him and stepping on his leg. Officers said the man used a pen to stab another Comic-Con fan near the eye.

Then there was an arrest of the actor who plays the lead villain in “The Amazing Spider-Man” at Comic-Con 2011.

According to San Diego police officials, Rhys Ifans’ only weapon was his “abusive, belligerent and aggressive” behavior. But that was apparently enough to get the actor arrested on misdemeanor battery charges.

For those attendees who bring a weapon on convention grounds and refuse to have the weapon inspected, organizers have this advice – leave it at home.