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| Loaded Firearm (LAX) |
30
Firearms Discovered This Week – Of the 30 firearms, 27 were loaded and eight had rounds chambered. See a complete list and more photos at the bottom of this post.
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| Starter Pistol (BWI) |
On Your Mark… - A starter pistol loaded with six blanks was discovered in a carry-on bag at Baltimore (BWI). Sure it shoots blanks, but it looks like the real deal, makes a loud bang, and could cause a lot of angst if somebody pulled it out in the cabin of an aircraft, which TSA cannot permit.
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| (L-R) Gearshift Grenade (SEA), Ceramic Grenade (HNL), Lighter Grenade (LAS), Inert Grenade (LAS), Novelty Grenade (DAL), Practice Grenade (CAK), Airsoft Grenades (SJC) |
Inert Ordnance and Grenades etc. - We continue to find inert hand grenades and other weaponry on a weekly basis. Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a realistic bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited - real or not. When these items are found at a checkpoint or in checked baggage, they can cause significant delays in checkpoint screening. I know they are cool novelty items, but you cannot bring them on a plane. Read
here and
here on why inert items cause problems.
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| Flashbang Grenade (PDX) |
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| M60 Igniter (SAN) |
- Ten live/inert/novelty/replica grenades were discovered this week. Six were discovered in carry-on bags at Seattle (SEA), Dallas (DAL), Las Vegas (LAS), Honolulu (HNL), Phoenix (PHX), and Portland (PDX). The other four were discovered in checked bags at Akron Canton (CAK), Las Vegas (LAS), Washington Dulles (IAD), and San Jose (SJC). The grenade at PDX was a live flashbang grenade and the grenade at IAD was a live smoke grenade.
- Two battery-charged initiators were discovered in a carry-on bag at Minneapolis (MSP).
- An empty M60 igniter was discovered on a key ring at San Diego (SAN). Pro Tip – While these do make interesting key rings, they can also be used in harmful way. So… best not to bring them.
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| Battery-Charged Detonator (MSP) |
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| Stun Guns Discovered at (L-R) LAS, MCO, MDW, MDW, SMF, BNA, BOI |
Stun Guns –14 stun guns were discovered this week in carry-on bags around the nation. Two were discovered at Denver (DEN), two more were discovered at Chicago Midway (MDW), and the others were found at Nashville (BNA), Boise (BOI), Columbia (CAE), Detroit (DTW), Northwest Florida Beaches (ECP), Las Vegas (LAS), Orlando (MCO), Phoenix (PHX), San Francisco (SFO), and Sacramento (SMF).
Items in the Strangest Places –It's important to examine your bags prior to traveling to ensure no prohibited items are inside. If a prohibited item is discovered in your bag, you could be cited and quite possibly arrested by local law enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where prohibited items were found in strange places.
- A credit card knife was discovered at Los Angeles (LAX).
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| Credit Card Knife (LAX) |
What Not to Say at an Airport – Statements like these not only delay the people who said them but can also inconvenience many other passengers if the checkpoint or terminal has to be evacuated:
- While checking his bag at Philadelphia (PHL) a passenger stated: "Take care of my bag, it might blow up."
Miscellaneous Prohibited Items - In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, our Officers also regularly find firearm components, realistic replica firearms, bb and pellet guns, Airsoft guns, brass knuckles, ammunition, batons, and a lot of sharp pointy things…
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| Knives Discovered At (L-R) AUS, LGA, OAK, BDL, EWR, BUF |
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| Fireworks Discovered at (L-R) DCA, DTW, RDU, FWA, SEA, ISP |
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| (L-R) Laser Pointer Pistol (BDL), Pepper Spray (LAX), Brass Knuckles (OAK) |
Firearms Discovered This Week in Carry-On Bags
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| Discovered at (L-R) SHV, MCI |
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| Discovered at (L-R) ATL, BHM, BNA, IAH, JAN, TUL, MSY, ATL |
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| Discovered at (L-R) RNO, BNA, IATPA, RNO, PBI |
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 throughput 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 $7,500.00. 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, I compile my data from a preliminary report. The year-end numbers will vary slightly (increase) from what I report in the weekly updates. However, any monthly, midyear, or end-of-year numbers TSA provides on this blog or elsewhere will not be estimates.
If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you check out our post highlighting
the dangerous, scary, and downright unusual items our officers found in 2012. The 2011 list can be found
here.
Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team
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