FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

TSA Week in Review: 35 Firearms, Black Powder, Concealed Knives and More


35 Firearms Discovered This Week
– of the 35 firearms discovered, 27 were loaded and 8 had a round chambered. The firearm pictured was discovered in a carry-on bag at Chattanooga (CHA).

A 12 ounce bottle of black powder, a safety fuse, firecrackers, lighter fluid and 21 shotgun shells were discovered in a checked bag at Boston (BOS). All of these items, minus the shotgun shells are prohibited from being transported. Shotgun shells may be packed in checked luggage as long as the proper guidelines are followed.

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 respond to resolve the alarm. Even if they are novelty items, you are prohibited from bringing them on the aircraft.

  • An inert grenade was detected in carry-on bag at Denver (DEN).
  • An inert grenade was detected in carry-on bag at Sacramento (SMF).
  • 12 novelty grenades and four decorative inert rounds were discovered in a checked bag at Anchorage (ANC).


L-R: Grenades discovered at ANC, SMF and DEN

Artfully Concealed Prohibited Items – Artfully concealed is a term used to describe an item that is intentionally hidden. It could be anything from a knife sewn into the lining of a bag to a sword hidden inside of a walking cane. If a concealed prohibited item is discovered in your bag or on your body, you could be cited and possibly arrested by law enforcement.

A knife was discovered in a traveler’s carry-on bag at Jacksonville (JAX). He was permitted to leave the checkpoint so he could place the knife in his car. The knife was discovered again upon his return taped to a fishing lure.

Two knives were discovered last week inside a hidden compartment in the sole of a shoe at Wichita (ICT).

Miscellaneous Prohibited Items – In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, 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.

A ceremonial sword was discovered in a carry-on bag at Norfolk (ORF).
Clockwise from top, items discovered at: DTW, DAL, SJU, PHX and BIS

Stun Guns - 27 stun guns were discovered this week at airports around the nation. Two were discovered at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), two at Denver (DEN), two at Milwaukee (MKE), two at New Orleans (MSY), two at Detroit (DTW), two at St. Louis (STL), and the remainder were discovered at Atlanta (ATL), Augusta (AGS), Bradley (BDL), Burbank (BUR), Fairbanks (FAI), Houston Intercontinental (IAH), Jacksonville (JAX), Kansas City (MCI), Las Vegas (LAS), Memphis (MEM), Omaha (OMA), Phoenix (PHX), Salt Lake City (SLC), San Diego (SAN), and Springfield (SGF).
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. The ammunition pictured was discovered in a carry-on bag at IAD.
Clockwise from the top left: Firearms discovered in carry-on bags at: PIT, PBI, IAH and BNA



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 $11,000. 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.

*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.


Read our 2014 Year in Review post! If you haven’t read them yet, make sure you check out our year in review posts for 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Follow @TSA on Twitter and Instagram!

Bob Burns
TSA Social Media 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 9/04/2015 09:46:00 PM

http://blog.tsa.gov/2015/09/tsa-week...rms-black.html