TSA Week in Review - 51 Firearms Discovered This Week (And One Unloaded Cannon)
Loaded firearm discovered at MLB |
Cannon Barrel - You can add this one to the "items we don't see every day" category. An unloaded cannon barrel was discovered along with a passenger's checked items at the Kahului Airport (OGG). Our officers have discovered cannonballs in the past, but this is the first cannon I can recall.
Cannon Barrel (OGG) |
- An inert hand grenade was discovered in a carry-on bag at Dallas Fort Worth (DFW).
Artfully Concealed Prohibited Items – It's important to examine your bags prior to traveling to ensure you are not carrying prohibited items. If a prohibited item is discovered in your bag or on your body, you could be cited and possibly arrested by local law enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where prohibited items were found by our officers in strange places.
- Two concealed six-inch knives were detected in a traveler's shoes at Tallahassee (TLH).
Knives in boot at (TLH) |
- A Miami (MIA) traveler informed the airline ticketing representative that he had C4 explosives in his checked bag. His bag was located and after all was said and done, no C4 was discovered.
Marijuana (SFO) |
Stun Guns – 12 stun guns were discovered in carry-on bags this week at Atlanta (ATL), Billings (BIL), Buffalo (BUF), Burbank (BUR), Columbia (CAE), Kansas City (MCI), Los Angeles (LAX), Northwest Florida (VPS), Oakland (OAK), Orlando (MCO), Phoenix (PHX), and San Diego (SAN).
Marijuana at SFO - Several plastic-wrapped packs of marijuana totaling six pounds were discovered in a carry-on bag at San Francisco (SFO). Our officers are looking primarily for weapons, but when they come across drugs, they must be reported to local law enforcement.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 many other prohibited items too numerous to note.
Top - Bottom: Knives Discovered at LAS, LAS & JFK |
Ammunition discovered in carry-on bag at JFK |
(Clockwise from top left) Loaded Firearms Discovered in Carry-on Bags at: RNO, DAL, FLL & AUS |
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 $7,500. 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 TSA Blog Year in Review for 2013 . You can also check out 2011 & 2012 as well.
Follow @TSABlogTeam on Twitter and Instagram !
If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us by clicking here.