FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015

TSA Week in Review: 61 Firearms Discovered, Bag Catches Fire at Anchorage, and More


61 firearms were discovered this week in carry-on bags around the nation. Of the 61 firearms discovered, 54were loaded and 18 had a round chambered. All of the firearms pictured here were discovered this week. See a complete list below.

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 onboard the aircraft. Two inert grenades were discovered this week in checked bags at Denver (DEN - Pictured), and New Orleans (MSY).

Seven Knives in Carry-on: These seven knives were discovered in a carry-on bag at New York (JFK). While knives of any size are prohibited in carry-on bags, they may be transported in checked baggage.

40 Pounds of Marijuana: While resolving an alarm on a checked bag, TSA officers discovered 40 pounds of marijuana at Phoenix (PHX). While we are looking primarily for explosive devices, it’s difficult not to see 80 pounds of it. When discovered, contraband is reported to local law enforcement.

Concealed Items: Two concealed items were discovered this week. A belt buckle knife was discovered at Las Vegas (LAS), and a cane sword was discovered at Portland (PDX). Knives are always prohibited in carry-on bags, and concealed knives can lead to arrest and fines.

Checked bag catches fire at Anchorage: A checked bag at Anchorage (ANC) ignited on a conveyor belt after strike-anywhere fire-starters self-ignited due to vibrations on the conveyor belt combined with the way they were packaged. In addition to fire-starters, strike-anywhere matches are prohibited as well.
Clockwise from the top, these items were discovered at BOI, DEN, HNL, JFK, BWI, DTW and BWI
In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly in carry-on bags, our officers also regularly find firearm components, realistic replica firearms, bb and pellet guns, airsoft guns, brass knuckles, ammunition, batons, stun guns, small pocketknives and many other prohibited items too numerous to note.


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.

*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.

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 Social Media Team

Posted by Bob Burns (TSA Blog Team) at 11/06/2015 10:38:00 PM

http://blog.tsa.gov/2015/11/tsa-week...-firearms.html