FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014

TSA Week in Review – 45 Loaded Firearms, a Fireworks Kit, Sword Canes, and More

Loaded Firearms Discovered in a Carry-On Bag at Charlotte (CLT)

51 Firearms Discovered This Week – Of the 52 firearms, 45 were loaded and 21 had rounds chambered.

Aluminum Powder - Two bags of aluminum powder, two mortar shells, and a fireworks making kit were discovered in checked baggage at Chicago O’Hare (ORD). All fireworks and explosive devices are prohibited from both carry-on and checked baggage.

Aluminum Powder Discovered Along With a Fireworks Kit at Chicago O'Hare (ORD)

Artfully Concealed Prohibited Items – It’s important to examine your bags prior to traveling to ensure you are not carrying prohibited items. 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.

  • A lipstick knife was discovered in a carry-on bag at Albuquerque (ABQ).
  • Two canes with concealed 12-inch blades were discovered at the checkpoint in Memphis (MEM).
  • A cell phone case doubling as a sheath for a push dagger was discovered at Tampa (TPA).

Sword Canes Discovered at Memphis (MEM) - Knife in Phone Case Discovered at Tampa (TPA)

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.

  • A live smoke grenade was discovered in a checked bag at Tucson (TUS).
  • Three inert grenades were discovered in checked bags this week. Two were discovered at New York Kennedy (JFK), and one was discovered at Rochester (ROC).
  • An inert grenade was detected in a carry-on bag at Detroit (DTW).
  • A spent mortar casing encrusted in dried mud was discovered in a checked bag at San Antonio (SAN).

Spent Mortar & Rounds & Live .50 Caliber Round (SAT), Inert Grenade (DTW), Smoke Grenade (TUS)

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.

Compound Bow & Samurai Sword Discovered in Carry-on Bag at Austin (AUS)
Fireworks - Cincinnati (CVG), Flare - Jackson (JAN), Knife - Chicago O'Hare (ORD)

Stun Guns –11 stun guns were discovered this week in carry-on bags around the nation: Two were discovered at Dallas Love (DAL), and the remainder were discovered atAtlanta (ATL), Denver (DEN), Oakland (OAK), Raleigh-Durham (RDU), Reno (RNO), San Diego (SAN), San Juan (SJU), Sioux Falls (FSD), and Stockton (SCK).

Airsoft Guns – Two Airsoft guns were discovered this week in carry-on bags at the New Orleans (MSY) and Dallas Love (DAL) airports. 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.

Ammunition Discovered in Carry-on Bag at Houston (IAH)
Discovered in Carry-on Bags at (Left to Right / Top to Bottom) BWI, HOU, HOU, PDX, LAS, ORF

Discovered in Carry-on Bags at (Left to Right / Top to Bottom) ICT, HOU, CLT, BZN, TUL



*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.

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.

Posted by Bob Burns (TSA Blog Team) at 8/15/2014 08:22:00 PM

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