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2nd Time Isn’t a
Charm - You can possibly
get away with saying you didn’t know you had your gun the first time, but a
second time? A passenger at
John Wayne Airport (SNA) attempted to bring a loaded .357 pistol
through security in his
carry-on bag. Leave your guns
at home, pilgrim.
Warheads - Yes, warheads. Three of them. They were
discovered in ominous black lockboxes at the checkpoint at Salt Lake City (SLC).
The good news is they were inert devices used for training by the passenger’s
company.
A Little Less Flare – If somebody suggested that you should add some
flair to your travel, they didn’t mean “flare.” Yes, another flare gun complete
with flares was discovered in a carry-on bag. This time it was at Tampa (TPA).
Det Cord Igniter Used as Keychain - An inert det cord igniter was detected in
the carry-on bag of a Sacramento (SAC) passenger. Not the ideal keychain when
traveling by air…
Throwing Stars - Two days in a row, Officers at Los Angeles
(LAX) found throwing stars. One passenger had the star in his wallet and the
other in their bag. We are familiar with the ways of your Kung Fu.
Cane Sword - Yet another cane sword was discovered. This
time it was at Phoenix (PHX). People usually have no idea the swords are inside
their cane.
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Lipstick Knife - Unlike cane swords, there is no way you
could say you didn’t know the knife was in the lipstick case. This one was
found at Oakland (OAK).
People Say the Darndest Things
- Here is an example of
what not to say at the airport. Statements like this not only delayed the
people who said them, they can also inconvenience lots of other passengers if
the checkpoint has to be evacuated:
While placing their property in a
bin prior to screening, a passenger at Rapid City (RAP) stated: “Do you want me
to put my explosive belt on top of my explosive shoes?”
Miscellaneous Prohibited Items
- In addition to all of
the other prohibited items we find weekly, our Officers also found firearm
components, realistic replica firearms, stun guns, pepper spray, brass knuckles, a copious amount of knives, ammunition, and
batons.
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Firearms - Here are the firearms our Officers found in
carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday.
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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 in their bag. That’s why
it’s important to double check your luggage before you get to the airport.
If you’d like to comment on an
unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post
archives or search our blog to find a related topic to
comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an
immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you
traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk
to TSA.