Friday, November 23, 2012

TSA Week in Review: Pen Pistol Discovered at Allentown (ABE)

A pen pistol discovered at Allentown (ABE).

We’ve Been Expecting You, Mr. Bond: A pen pistol (unloaded) was discovered in the carry-on bag of an Allentown (ABE) passenger. At first, the passenger claimed it was just and pen and later admitted it was a gun.

Odd Watch Discovered at Oakland (OAK)
Odd Watch Discovered at Oakland (OAK): A strange watch resembling an IED component was discovered at Oakland. Check out my post from earlier this week for more information.

A magazine with seven rounds of .32 caliber ammo.
Ammo in Pocket: Usually, passengers just have keys or spare change in their pockets when they alarm the body scanners, but a passenger at Detroit (DTW) had a magazine with seven rounds of .32 caliber ammo in his pocket.


Inert Ordnance and Grenades Etc. – We continue to find inerthand grenades and other weaponry on weekly basis. Please keep in mind that if an itemlooks like a realistic bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited - real or not. When these items are found at a checkpoint or in checked baggage, 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.

  • Four inert grenades were discovered this week. Two in checked bags at San Francisco (SFO) and Las Vegas (LAS), and the other two in a carry-on bag at LaGuardia (LGA). The grenade from LAS was discovered in the bag of a 13-year-old who stated he had it for the zombie apocalypse.



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 lipstick knife was discovered at Salt Lake City (SLC).
  • A box cutter was found taped to the wall of a passenger’s bag -- under the lining at Sacramento (SMF)
  • Two belt buckle knives were discovered this week at Bradley (BDL) and Houston (HOU).
  • A pocketknife was discovered in a gum tin at Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP).


What Not to Say at an Airport – Statements like these not only delay the people who said them but can also inconvenience many other passengers if the checkpoint or terminal has to be evacuated:

  • While at the ticket counter, a passenger at Gulf Port (GPT) stated that he “possibly had a bomb in his bag.” He later explained his reasoning. He thought his statement would get him through security faster.
  • A passenger at Charlotte (CLT) who was informed she couldn’t take an item on the plane stated: “I hope someone comes in here and blows you all up.”


Stun cane discovered at CLE.
Stun Guns – Four stun guns were discovered this week in a carry-on bags around the nation: Two were discovered at Denver (DEN), one at Richmond (RIC), and lastly, the one discovered at Cleveland (CLE) was affixed to the end of a walking cane!

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.

Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team

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http://blog.tsa.gov/2012/11/tsa-week-in-review-pen-pistol.html