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| Loaded Firearm (IDA) |
75 Firearms Discovered in the Past Two Weeks – Of the 75 firearms, 66 were loaded and 19 had rounds chambered. See a complete list and more photos at the bottom of this post.
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| Two inert C4 demolition explosives were discovered in the carry-on bag of a passenger at Honolulu (HNL). |
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. While they may be novelty items, you cannot bring them on a plane. Read here on why inert items cause problems.
- Two inert C4 demolition explosives were discovered in the carry-on bag of a passenger at Honolulu (HNL).
- An inert grenade was detected in the carry-on bag at Spokane (GEG).
- 12 Airsoft grenades and two Airsoft flash grenades were discovered in checked baggage at Minneapolis St. Paul (MSP).
Stun Guns – 20 stun guns were discovered over the last two weeks in carry-on bags around the nation. Four were discovered in Denver (DEN), two in Atlanta (ATL), two in Burbank (BUR), two in Cleveland (CLE), two in Phoenix (PHX), and the remainder at Corpus Christi (CRP), Jackson (JAN), New York Kennedy (JFK), Las Vegas (LAS), Minneapolis (MSP), Richmond (RIC), Seattle (SEA), San Francisco (SFO).
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| Top to Bottom - Left to Right: Cane Sword (CAK), Cane Sword (DTW), Dagger (BUR), Folding Saw (EWR) |
Artfully Concealed Prohibited Items – 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 or on your body, you could be cited and quite possibly arrested by local law enforcement. Here are a few examples from the past two weeks where prohibited items were found by our officers in strange places.
- A cane sword with a 16-inch blade was discovered at Detroit (DTW).
- A dagger belt buckle was discovered at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW).
- A credit card knife was discovered in Albuquerque (ABQ).
- A belt buckle knife was discovered at Saipan (GSN).
- A knife, a multi-tool, and a credit card multi-tool were detected concealed inside the pull handle of a carry-on bag at Detroit (DTW)
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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| Left to Right: Ammo Discovered at ONT, CMH, DTW |
Ammunition – When packed properly, ammunition can be transported in your checked luggage, but it is never permissible to pack ammo in your carry-on bag.
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| Airsoft Gun (SNA) |
Airsoft Guns – Airsoft guns were discovered in carry-on bags over the last two weeks at Myrtle Beach (MYR), Salt Lake City (SLC), Sacramento (SMF) and Orange County (SNA). Airsoft guns are prohibited in carry-on bags, but allowed in checked baggage. Read this post for more information: TSA Travel Tips Tuesday: Traveling With Airsoft Guns
Firearms Discovered in Carry-On Bags
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| Top to Bottom - Left to Right: Firearms Discovered at ABQ, BNA, PHX, SAN, PIT, MIA |
*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.
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.
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.
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