You Can Bring A Gun To The RNC, But You Can't Bring These Ridiculous Things

If you're heading to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next week, there's a long list of things — 72 various items — the city of Cleveland has banned from the 1.7-square-mile "event zone," CNN reports.

This includes everything from tennis balls and hammocks, to slingshots and nunchucks, to glass bottles and coolers.

That's right, there will be no tailgating in the event zone. How un-American.

Some of the things on the list are definitely practical items to ban, such as switchblade knives and explosives. These are obviously not items that should be anywhere near an event of this nature.

Some of the other items on the list, however, are just plain amusing: lasers, drones, containers of bodily fluid and gas masks.

Yes, it makes sense these things are banned, it's just somewhat humorous to imagine someone wearing a gas mask and flying a drone while wielding a laser and sword, while also possessing a container of bodily fluid (just in case).

But there's one thing you might think should be nowhere near a political event that's actually permitted: guns.

This is because Ohio is an open carry state, and as Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson put it during a press conference on Wednesday,

Our intent is to follow the law. And if the law says you can have open carry, that's what it says. Whether I agree with it or not is another issue.

Meanwhile, BB guns, air rifles, air pistols, paintball guns and water guns are banned.

So, you can bring guns that can actually kill people, but the ones that spray people with water are apparently far too dangerous.

Toy guns: banned. Real guns: accepted.

Fortunately, federal law permits the Secret Service to ban guns from the Quicken Loans Arena, the "secure area" it is administering, CNN reports.

But, given gun violence claims the lives of over 10,000 Americans per year, it's pretty unsettling that laws permit the banning of tennis balls and toys from a major political event, but firearms are fine. It's counterintuitive and dangerous.

Citations: CNN