41 Firearms Discovered This Week– Of the 41 firearms discovered, 36 were loaded and 15 had a round chambered. The firearm pictured here was discovered in a carry-on bag at AUS.

Inert Ordnance and Grenades etc. – We continue to find inert grenades and other weaponry on a weekly basis. Keep in mind that if an item looks like a real bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited. When these items are found at a checkpoint or in checked baggage, they can cause significant delays because the explosives detection professionals must respond to resolve the alarm. Even if they are novelty items, you are prohibited from bringing them onboard the aircraft.

Clockwise from the top left, these inert/replica grenades were discovered at ATL, LAS, AUS, GPI, DEN and OAJ. --- Four inert/replica grenades were discovered this week in carry-on bags at Atlanta (ATL), Dallas Love (DAL), Denver (DEN), Las Vegas (LAS) and Jacksonville (OAJ).--- Two inert grenades were discovered this week in checked bags at Austin (AUS) and Glacier Park (FCA).

Artfully Concealed Prohibited Items – Artfully concealed is a term used to describe an item that is intentionally hidden. It could be anything from a knife sewn into the lining of a bag to a sword hidden inside of a walking cane. If a concealed prohibited item is discovered in your bag or on your body, you could be cited and possibly arrested by law enforcement.

This stun cane was discovered in a traveler’s carry-on property at Fort Lauderdale (FLL).

One round of ammunition and Oxycontin were discovered inside this cane at Las Vegas (LAS).

This knife was detected under the cushion of a child safety seat at New Orleans (MSY).

Miscellaneous Prohibited Items – In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, officers also regularly find firearm components, realistic replica firearms, bb and pellet guns, airsoft guns, brass knuckles, ammunition, batons and many other prohibited items too numerous to note.

Clockwise from the top left, these items were discovered at DAL, MBS, ORD, SFO, PHX, BUF, LGB, AUS, DAL, ABQ, DEN, ABQ and ATL

Stun Guns - 17 stun guns were discovered this week in carry-on bags around the nation. Two were discovered at Dallas Love (DAL), two at San Francisco (SFO), and the remainder were discovered at Fairbanks (FAI), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Las Vegas (LAS), Minneapolis (MSP), New Orleans (MSY), New York Kennedy (JFK), New York LaGuardia (LGA), Phoenix (PHX), Portland (PDX), Raleigh-Durham (RDU), Reno (RNO), Spokane (GEG), and Wilmington (ILM).

Ammunition – When packed properly, ammunition can be transported in your checked baggage, but it is never permissible to pack ammo in your carry-on bag. The ammunition seen here was discovered in a carry-on bag at OKC.

Clockwise from the top left, these firearms were discovered at PHX, BNA, ATL, TYS, LBF and ICT

Clockwise from the top left, these firearms were discovered at MEM, PHX and JAX

You can travel with your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline. You can go here for more details on how to properly travel with your firearms. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure.

Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the line is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. The passenger can face a penalty as high as $11,000. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions; that's for the law enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items.

*In order to provide a timely weekly update, this data is compiled from a preliminary report. The year-end numbers will vary slightly from what is reported in the weekly updates. However, any monthly, midyear or end-of-year numbers TSA provides on this blog or elsewhere will be actual numbers and not estimates.

Bob Burns
TSA Social Media Team