FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2014

TSA Week in Review – 18 Firearms Discovered in One Day


One of the 18 firearms discovered on June 4th.This one was discovered at Memphis (MEM).

Record Number of Firearms Discovered in One Day - On June 4, 18 firearms were discovered around the country in carry-on bags. That broke the previous record of 13 set in 2013.

47 Firearms Discovered This Week – Of the 47 firearms, 36 were loaded and 10 had rounds chambered. See a complete list and more photos at the bottom of this post.

Inert Ordnance and Grenades etc. – We continue to find inert hand 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 resolve the alarm to determine the level of threat. Even if they are novelty items, you cannot bring them on a plane. Read here on why inert items cause problems.

Two inert grenades were discovered in carry-on bags this week at Houston (HOU),and Palm Beach (PBI).

Artfully Concealed Prohibited Items – It’s important to examine your bags prior to traveling to ensure prohibited items are not inside. If a prohibited item is discovered in your bag or on your body, you could be cited and possibly arrested by local law enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where prohibited items were found by our officers in strange places.


  • 45 credit card knives were discovered this week at checkpoints. Twelve were discovered at Minneapolis (MSP), eight at Nashville (BNA), six at Kansas City (MCI), six at San Francisco (SFO), six at Tampa (TPA), three at St. Louis (STL), and the remainder were discovered at Branson (BBG), Long Beach (LGB), Shreveport (SHV), and St. Petersburg (PIE). Check out this blog post for more information on credit card knives.
  • A knife was detected inside the lining of a bag behind the support column at Cleveland (CLE).

A knife was detected in the sole of a shoe at Los Angeles (LAX).

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:


  • After alarming the explosives trace detection machine at Midway (MDW), a traveler stated that she “wouldn’t mind blowing this whole place up.”
  • A traveler at Reno (RNO) waiting at the gate to board his plane began telling passengers that he had a bomb in his carry-on bag. There was no bomb in his bag.


Stun Guns – 14 stun guns were discovered this week in carry-on bags around the nation: Four were discovered at Dallas Love (DAL), three at Las Vegas (LAS), two at Phoenix (PHX), and the remainder were discovered at Atlanta (ATL), Buffalo (BUF), Redmond (RDM), Norfolk (ORF), and St. Croix (STX).

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…

(L-R) Throwing Knives (RDU), Throwing Knives (SJC), Switchblade (MDW), Knuckle Blade (EWR)

Airsoft Guns – An Airsoft gun was discovered this week in a carry-on bag at Pullman-Moscow (PUW). Airsoft guns are prohibited in carry-on bags, but allowed in checked baggage. Airsoft grenades are not permitted in checked or carry-on bags. Read this post for more information: TSA Travel Tips Tuesday: Traveling with Airsoft Guns

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.

Firearms Discovered This Week in Carry-On Bags

(L-R) Derringers discovered at Washington Dulles (IAD) and Lynchburg (LYH).

Clockwise from top left - Firearms discovered at FLL, RDU, DEN, PHX, and JAN.

Clockwise from top left - Firearms discovered at MEM, DAL, MCO, and SNA.

*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 $7,500.00.

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 haven’t seen it yet, make sure you check out our TSA Blog Year in Review for 2013. You can also check out 2011 & 2012 as well.

Follow @TSABlogTeam on Twitterand Instagram!

Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team

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Posted by Bob Burns (TSA Blog Team) at 6/06/2014 08:00:00 PM

http://blog.tsa.gov/2014/06/tsa-week...-firearms.html