Black Powder and Other Items Discovered During Bag Search – While resolving an explosives alarm at Grand Junction (GJT), TSA Officers discovered three - 2 lb. cans of black powder, detonation cords, and a timing fuse. The passenger stated he was transporting property from his father’s home, which was used to remove tree stumps.
Non Metallic Knife Discovered With Body Scanner – A non metallic knife was discovered in the ankle area of a Houston (IAH) passenger. The knife was found during a pat-down after being detected by a body scanner.
Inert Grenades Etc. –
We continue to find inert hand grenades and
other weaponry on weekly basis. Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is
prohibited - real or not. When these items are found at a checkpoint, they can
cause significant delays. I know they are cool novelty items, but it is best
not to take them on a plane. Read here
and here on
why inert items cause problems.
- A Mark 24 shock tube initiator used to detonate explosives was discovered during a bag search at San Diego (SAN).
- Three inert grenades were discovered this week: Two at San Francisco (SFO) and one at Norfolk (ORF).
- An inert 20 mm round was discovered at San Francisco (SFO).
Items in the Strangest
Places –It’s important to check your bags prior to
traveling. If a prohibited item is discovered in your bag, you could be cited
and possibly arrested by local law
enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where prohibited items were
found in strange places.
- A .22 caliber magazine was discovered wrapped in aluminum foil inside a DVD player at Fresno (FAT).
- Sharper vision? A knife was discovered inside a box of contact lenses at Milwaukee (MKE).
- A cane sword was discovered at Albuquerque (ABQ).
Stun
Guns – Five
stun guns were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints around the nation:
Akron (CAK), San Francisco (SFO), New York Kennedy (JFK), Birmingham
(BHM), and Denver (DEN)
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 -- to mention
a few…
Firearms
-
Here are pictures of some of the firearms our Officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted
last Friday. See a complete list below.
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. 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 have a travel
related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us by
clicking here.