FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015

TSA Week in Review: 39 Firearms Discovered This Week (35 Loaded)

Loaded firearm discovered in a carry-on bag at AUS.

39 Firearms Discovered This Week Of the 39 firearms,35 were loaded and 12 had rounds chambered.

Replica Grenade (ART)
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. Read here on why inert items cause problems.


  • A replica grenade was discovered in a carry-on bag at Watertown International (ART). It pulled apart to reveal a screwdriver and bit set. While tools 7-inches and smaller are permitted in carry-on bags, anything that looks like a grenade is not.


Large Amount of Marijuana in Carry-on at OAK: 17 clear vacuum sealed plastic bags of marijuana were discovered in two carry-on bags this week at Oakland (OAK). If during the security screening process an officer discovers an item that may violate federal law, TSA refers the matter to law enforcement.

Marijuana in carry-on bags at OAK
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.

Clockwise from top left, items discovered at: LAS, PHX, DAL, DAL, SJC, DTW, PHF & LAS
Stun Guns - 22 stun guns were discovered this week in carry-on bags. Three were discovered at Dallas Love (DAL), three at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), two at Atlanta (ATL), and the remainder were discovered at Baltimore (BWI), Charlottesville (CHO), Denver (DEN), Houston Hobby (HOU), Midland (MAF), Nashville (BNA), Norfolk (ORF), Oakland (OAK), Omaha (OMA), Orlando (MCO), Salt Lake City (SLC), San Antonio (SAT), San Francisco (SFO), and Tyson (TYS).

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.
Clockwise from top left, firearms discovered at: ATL, BNA, BHM, OMA & IAH
Clockwise from top left, firearms discovered at:BNA, RDU, TPA & RDU



*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.

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.

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Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team

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Posted by Bob Burns (TSA Blog Team) at 3/13/2015 06:13:00 PM

http://blog.tsa.gov/2015/03/tsa-week...-firearms.html