FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014

TSA Week in Review – 41 Firearms Discovered This Week (33 Loaded)

Loaded Firearm Discovered in a Carry-on Bag at (SEA)

41 Firearms Discovered This Week – Of the 41 firearms, 33 were loaded andeight had rounds chambered. See a complete list and more photos at the bottom of this post.

Grenade Shaped Electronic Cigarette (HOU), Grenade Shaped Lighter (MIA)

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 realistic bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited. When these items are found at a checkpoint or in checked baggage, they can cause significant delays in checkpoint screening. While they may be novelty items, you cannot bring them on a plane. Read here on why inert items cause problems.


  • Three inert/replica grenades were discovered this week in carry-on bags at Rochester (RST), Houston (HOU) and Miami (MIA).

Belt Buckle Knife (LAX), Credit Card Knife (MCI)

Artfully Concealed Prohibited Items – It’s important to examine your bags prior to traveling to ensure no prohibited items are inside. If a prohibited item is discovered in your bag or on your body, you could be cited and quite 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.


  • A pocket knife was found taped inside the interior lining of a bag at Denver (DEN).
  • Two credit card knives were discovered in two separate incidents at Kansa City (MCI).
  • A belt buckle knife was discovered at Los Angeles (LAX).

Monkey Fist (MOB)

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…

Samurai Sword (LAX)


Items Discovered at (Top to Bottom / Left to Right) HPN, OGG, ROC, SFO, ROC, ORD, ORD
Stun Guns – Nine stun guns were discovered this week in carry-on bags around the nation at Albuquerque (ABQ), Denver (DEN), Las Vegas (LAS), Medford (MFR), Mobile (MOB), Oakland (OAK), Newport News (PHF), Provo (PVU), and Trenton (TTN).


Stun Guns Discovered at (Left to Right): MFR, ABQ, TTN


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


Ammunition Discovered in Carry-On Bag at (LAS)
Airsoft Guns – An Airsoft gun was discovered in a carry-on bag this week at San Diego (SAN). Airsoft guns are prohibited in carry-on bags, but allowed in checked baggage. Read this post for more information: TSA Travel Tips Tuesday: Traveling With Airsoft Guns


Airsoft Gun Discovered at (SAN)
Firearms Discovered This Week in Carry-On Bags

Guns Discovered at (Top to Bottom / Left to Right) RDU, OTH, ATL, TUL, MOB, JAN, ATL, PDX

*In order to provide a timely weekly update, date 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 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. 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 post highlighting the dangerous, scary, and downright unusual items our officers found in 2012. The 2011 list can be found here.


Follow @TSABlogTeam on Twitter and Instagram!


Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team


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

http://blog.tsa.gov/2014/02/tsa-week...-firearms.html