I think perhaps "cheating" is too strong a word at the moment. There is some confusion around this issue, and if there are people offended at the way an announcement was made, please know that it's not intentional and making people angry is never anyone's goal or desire here. Having written announcements here on the forum which can then be carried over into the game is an approach I agree with, which will hopefully take root. Thus if you feel that this announcement was a little hasty and could have been carried out better, offer some suggestions (as already done) and then take a moment to understand that it was never meant to be a personal attack on anyone nor a mass categorizing of players into "cheater" boxes.
Sisilam: If altering properties could be done that easily, as I said, I don't see any reason why we would need to have wipes at all. But I do not know the details of the DB and its workings, and this is something perhaps better addressed to Bereror (who will hopefully take a look at this thread).
To everyone: the important thing is to keep in mind our intended max quality - now that you are aware that weapons over 300 are a mistake rather than the intention, what you choose to do is up to you. You can continue making the bugged weapons, or you can put your effort into things that will last a bit longer.