Anyone planning to bring an axe, thermos, umbrella or container of bodily fluid to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week will find themselves stopped by security, according to a complete list of banned items issued by the event’s organizers.
The list of prohibited items is exhaustive, and seems designed to prevent just about any kind of attack or security threat imaginable. Except a shooting.
WATCH: Protesters plan to disrupt Republican convention
That’s right. While air rifles, paintball guns, BB guns, water guns, pellet guns, and firearms currently prohibited in the state of Ohio are all a no-no, anyone can enter into the so-called “event zone” — a 4.4-square-kilometre area around the convention site — carrying a legal firearm.
Authorities have implemented a smaller “hard zone” immediately surrounding the convention hall, and that building is temporarily under federal jurisdiction. No guns are permitted inside as a result, so delegates cannot be armed on the convention floor.
Because Ohio has an open-carry law in place, you can walk around the larger event zone with your AR-15 rifle in full view.
READ MORE: Republican lawmaker calls for Hillary Clinton’s public execution
The local police union recently asked Ohio’s governor, John Kasich, to suspend the open-carry law for the duration of the event, but Kasich has argued that he is essentially powerless.
In a statement issued to various media outlets over the weekend, a spokesperson for the governor said that governors “do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws, as suggested.”
The convention and its central attraction, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, are expected to draw protesters to Cleveland in droves.
WATCH: A small group of protesters has gathered outside the Republican National Convention saying they are there to denounce hate. Representatives from The Council on American-Islamic Relations and other protesters held banners and chanted.
The week-long event is set to kick off just one day after three on-duty police officers were fatally gunned down in Louisiana, and 11 days after five officers were shot dead in Dallas.
Convention organizers said on Sunday that the theme of the first day would be “Make America Safe Again.”
Some of the items prohibited inside the “event zone”
- Metal knuckles
- Mace
- Aerosol cans
- Containers of bodily fluids
- Light bulbs
- Gas masks
- Backpacks
- Lasers
- Tennis balls
- Canned goods
- Sleeping bags
- Drones
- Fireworks
Comments