FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2014

TSA Week in Review – 38 Firearms Discovered This Week (32 Loaded)

38 Firearms Discovered This Week – Of the 38 firearms, 32 were loaded and 12 had rounds chambered. See more photos at the bottom of this post.

Artfully Concealed Prohibited Items – It is 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.

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 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.

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 many other prohibited items too numerous to note.

Firearms Discovered This Week in Carry-On Bags


Loaded firearm discovered in carry-on bag at Charlotte (CLT)
Two loaded firearms found in carry-on bags at Atlanta (ATL)

Loaded firearm, with seven rounds, one chambered found at San Antonio (SAT)
Firearms found in carry-on bags at Houston (IAH)


*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. 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.

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TSA Blog Team

If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us by clicking here.

Ollie Cooperwood,
(Filling in for the incomparable Bob Burns)
TSA Media Team

Posted by TSA Blog Team at 8/01/2014 04:55:00 PM

http://blog.tsa.gov/2014/08/tsa-week...irearms_1.html