Friday, October 5, 2012

TSA Week in Review: Loaded .32 Caliber Pistol Found in Lining of Carry-on Bag

Handgun in Lining of Bag – Officers at Seattle (SEA) discovered a .32 caliber pistol loaded with six rounds in the lining of a carry-on bag.


Black Powder Pellets – 22 black powder pellets along with 69 primers were discovered after Officers resolved an alarm in checked baggage at Salt Lake City (SLC).



Inert Grenades Etc. – We continue to find inerthand grenades and other weaponry on weekly basis. Please keep in mind that if an itemlooks like a bomb, grenade, mine, etc., it is prohibited - real or not. When these items are found at a checkpoint, they can cause significant delays. I know they are cool novelty items, but it is best not to take them on a plane.Read here and here on why inert items cause problems.



A grenade shaped candle was discovered at Myrtle Beach (MYR) in the carry-on bag of a passenger.


Stun Guns – Eight stun guns were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints around the nation: Minneapolis (MSP), St. Louis (STL), San Francisco (SFO), Denver (DEN), two at Baltimore (BWI), Pittsburgh (PIT), and Washington Dulles (IAD)

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--to mention a few…

Firearms - Here are pictures of some of the firearms our Officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday. See a complete list below.








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. 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.

Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team

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The TSA Blog: TSA Week in Review: Loaded .32 Caliber Pistol Found in Lining of Carry-on Bag