FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2014

TSA Week in Review – 41 Loaded Firearms Discovered in Carry-on Bags This Week

Loaded Firearm Discovered at CVG

45 Firearms Discovered This Week – Of the 45 firearms, 41 were loaded and17 had rounds chambered. See a complete list and more photos at the bottom of this post.

81 Pounds of Marijuana (OAK)

Drug Find at Oakland - 81 Pounds of Marijuana was discovered in checked baggage at the Oakland (OAK) International Airport. Part of TSA's mission is to protect the nation's transportation systems by keeping dangerous items off of commercial aircraft, but when contraband is found, it must be reported to local law enforcement. Especially when it's 81 pounds of contraband.

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/replica grenades were discovered this week. One was discovered in a carry-on bag at Minneapolis (MSP), and the other was discovered in a checked bag at Atlanta (ATL).

Cane Knife (SFO), Rifle Barrel (ANC), Key Knife (BTV), Card Knife (OAK)

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.

Mallet (BTV)

  • 28 credit card knives were discovered this week. Seven were discovered at Oakland (OAK), four were discovered at Cincinnati (CVG), three at St. Louis (STL), two at Colorado Springs (COS), two at Kansas City (MCI), two more at Myrtle Beach (MYR), and the remainder were discovered at Branson (BBG), Charleston (CHS), Dickinson (DIK), Fargo (FAR), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Lansing (LAN), Saint Petersburg (PIE), and Williston (ISN). Check out this blog post for more information on credit card knives.
  • A stun gun disguised to look like a cell phone was discovered in a carry-on bag at Richmond (RIC).

(L-R) BTV, DTW, LAN, SBY, SJC

  • A cane knife was discovered in San Francisco (SFO).
  • TSOs at Milwaukee (MKE) discovered a comb knife in a carry-on bag.
  • A rifle barrel was found taped underneath the liner of a passenger’s carry-on bag in Anchorage (ANC).
  • An anomaly was detected in a can of shaving cream during checked baggage screening at Charlotte (CLT.) The can was found to have false bottom and contained approximately 1 ounce of marijuana.


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…

(RIC)

Stun Guns – Twelve stun guns were discovered this week in carry-on bags around the nation. Three were discovered at Las Vegas (LAS), the remainder were discovered at Atlanta (ATL), Burbank (BUR), Charleston (CRW), Los Angeles (LAX), Milwaukee (MKE), Northwest Florida Beaches (ECP), Richmond (RIC), Sacramento (SMF), and San Francisco (SFO).

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 realizing his flight had departed with his checked baggage onboard, a Miami (MIA) passenger asked a gate agent: “What if I had a bomb in my bag?”

(MFE)

Airsoft Guns – An Airsoft gun was discovered in a carry-on bag at McAllen (MFE). 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

Firearms Discovered This Week in Carry-On Bags

(Left - Right, Top to Bottom) BNA, FLL, HOU, MEM, DEN

Firearms Discovered at GSP



*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.

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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/2014/05/tsa-week...-firearms.html