FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015

TSA Week in Review: 31 Loaded Firearms, 10 Inert Grenades, and 3 Propane Tanks Discovered in Carry-on Bags This Week

Loaded Firearm Discovered in Carry-on Bag (LEX)

40 Firearms Discovered This Week – Of the 40 firearms,31 were loaded and 13 had rounds chambered.

Clockwise From Top Left Corner, Grenades Discovered at: BWI, BWI, CAE, LAS, PHX, and MDT

Inert Ordnance and Grenades etc. – We continue to find inert grenades and other weaponry on a weekly basis. Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a real bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited. When these items are found at a checkpoint or in checked baggage, they can cause significant delays because the explosives detection professionals must respond to resolve the alarm. Even if they are novelty items, you are prohibited from bringing them on the aircraft.

  • 10 inert/replica/novelty grenades were discovered around the nation this week. Six were discovered in checked bags (two at Baltimore (BWI), two at Columbia (CAE), Phoenix (PHX) and Minneapolis (MSP)), and four were discovered in carry-on bags (Harrisburg (MDT), Lihue (LIH), Las Vegas (LAS), and Baltimore (BWI)).



Three full camping-sized propane tanks were discovered in a carry-on bag at Oakland (OAK). Propane tanks are prohibited in both carry-on and checked baggage due to their propensity to explode.
Ten vacuum sealed packages of marijuana were discovered in a checked bag at San Francisco (SFO).
Counterclockwise From Top, Knives Discovered at: TUS, CLT, CLT, HNL, ORD, ORD, ORD, PHX, PVD, SFO, SFO, and SJC

Clockwise From Top Left, Items Discovered at: MDW, AVP, and AUS
Zelda Sword Discovered at (OAK)

Miscellaneous Prohibited Items – In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, 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.

Stun Guns - 16 stun guns were discovered in carry-on bags this week. Two were discovered at Dallas Love (DAL), and the others were found at Albuquerque (ABQ), Atlanta (ATL), Bradley (BDL), Lafayette (LFT), Las Vegas (LAS), Midway (MDW), New York LaGuardia (LGA), Oklahoma City (OKC), Portland (PWM), Reno (RNO), Seattle (SEA), Sitka (SIT), Springfield (SGF), and Wichita (ICT).

Ammunition – When packed properly, ammunition can be transported in your checked baggage, but it is never permissible to pack ammo in your carry-on bag.

Clockwise From Top Left, Firearms Discovered in Carry-on Bags at: ATL, HOU, SNA, and MEM
Clockwise From Top Left, Firearms Discovered in Carry-on Bags at: TUL, BNA, GTF, and CID
Left - Right, Firearms Discovered in Carry-on Bags at OAK and IND


*In order to provide a timely weekly update, this data is compiled from a preliminary report. The year-end numbers will vary slightly from what is reported in the weekly updates. However, any monthly, midyear or end-of-year numbers TSA provides on this blog or elsewhere will be actual numbers and not 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 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 $11,000. 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.

Read our 2014 Year in Review post! If you haven’t read them yet, make sure you check out our year in review posts for 2011, 2012 and 2013.

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Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team

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Posted by Bob Burns (TSA Blog Team) at 4/17/2015 10:37:00 PM

http://blog.tsa.gov/2015/04/tsa-week...-firearms.html