Between October 7 and November 3, TSA screened 65 million passengers and found 374 firearms in carry-on bags. Of the 374 firearms discovered, 333 were loaded and 118 had a round chambered.
It was a busy October this year! We found 403 firearms last month compared to 358 in October of last year.
Don’t pack your firearm in your carry-on bag. Bringing a firearm to the security checkpoint may lead to a civil penalty of up to $13,333 or an arrest. And if you’re a TSA Pre✓® member, you could lose your status. Check out our transporting firearms and ammunition page to learn how to pack it properly.
See all firearm discoveries from October 7 to November 3 in this chart.
TSA officers at Miami International Airport discovered ammunition concealed in a carry-on bag on October 31, 2019. The passenger admitted that they hid ammunition in the pull handle of their checked bag pictured on the right. There is a better and proper way to transport ammunition in checked baggage. Attempting to conceal prohibited items from TSA officers can result in a civil penalty or even arrest.
Charge! A budding military weapons collector thought it was okay to pack an empty grenade, fixed bladed knife and a bayonet in their carry-on rucksack. This turned out to be a Major Faux Pas! A Seattle-Tacoma International Airport security checkpoint lane was closed for approximately 28 minutes on October 12 while explosive specialists cleared the alarm.
Here is your mission if you are willing to accept it: check TSA’s What can I bring? tool to see what items are allowed, make sure none of those items are in your bag before packing, head to the airport and go through security with no issues. Your mission is completed when you have a nice flight. Mission failure may result in a civil penalty or arrest!
You know you’re in trouble when TSA finds your wooden knuckles, stun knuckle and knives. The items pictured on the left are bottles of synthetic urine that are larger than 3.4oz. While liquids must follow the 3-1-1 rules, you should check local laws and with your airline when packing this type of item. This Dallas/Fort-Worth International Airport passenger learned that the hard way when they were arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and falsification of drug test results.
More than meets the eye…Weapons in Disguise… Transformers! Packing this knife can get you into a megatron of trouble! Or you can be an autobot and place this item in your checked bag before you ROLL OUT!. Gun knife transformer was discovered at Miami International Airport on October 26.
Don’t pack grenades! Learn from these individuals and their items discovered since October 7. Grenades – real or fake – aren’t allowed in carry-on or checked bags. Just leave them at home! Seriously, don’t pack them! Bringing these items can lead to delays, missed flights, civil penalty or even arrest.
Pictured top row on the left;
- An herb grinder shaped like a replica grenade was discovered at Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport on October 24. The type of herbs it grinds was not specified.
- An empty training grenade caused a checkpoint to close for 40 minutes after Dallas/Fort-Worth TSA officers discovered the grenade during X-ray screening on November 1.
- An empty grenade was found during checkpoint screening by Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport TSA officers on November 1.
Bottom row on the left;
- An empty replica grenade discovered at a screening checkpoint at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on October 12.
- Two empty airsoft grenades discovered during checked baggage screening at San Juan Airport on October 20.
Our mission at TSA is to do everything in our power to make sure you get to your destination safely by keeping dangerous items off planes. The most common explanation we hear from travelers for prohibited items is “I forgot it was in my bag.” Don’t be that person. Save yourself some money and embarrassment and thoroughly check your bags for prohibited items before heading to the airport.
So come prepared! For a list of prohibited items, be sure to use the What Can I Bring? tool. If you have questions about the security process, reach out to AskTSA on Twitter or Facebook. Our AskTSA team will happily answer even the most outlandish travel-related questions.
Want to know how many firearms we found last year? Check out our 2018 blog post.
Also, don’t forget to check out our top 10 most unusual finds video for 2018.
Want to learn more or see the other wacky finds? Follow us @TSA on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
Jay Wagner
