30 Loaded Guns Found This Week in Carry-on Bags
Six 12-Gauge Flares: You know they have little buttons above your seat for when you need a flight attendant, right? I doubt you need signal flares to get their attention. These six flares were found by our Officers at Milwaukee (MKE).
Body Scanner Discoveries This Week –There were seven incidents this week where drugs were found on passengers using imaging technology. Items were found everywhere from pockets to the groin area at LAX, ELM, SMF, OGG, PGD, CHS and TPA. We’re not looking for drugs, but finding these nonmetallic items in areas where explosives could also be hidden is a testament that the technology works. In addition to these discoveries, there was also a passenger at Anchorage who attempted to sneak in a tube of toothpaste by placing it in her groin area. This was an attempt to get it through after we had already caught it in her bag earlier. If you’re not familiar with why toothpaste is prohibited, you can read about our liquid policies here.
No Smoking: Smoking has been banned on flights for quite some time now, so please leave your smoke grenades at home. A live M-18 smoke grenade was discovered in checked baggage at Las Vegas (LAS).
Concealed Knives: It’s one thing to forget that you had a knife in your bag, but when you intentionally conceal it, it raises eyebrows. Officers in Wilmington (ILM) found two knives a passenger tried to conceal in their suitcase: a pocket knife wrapped in a computer cable and a kitchen knife hidden inside the lining of the bag near the pull handle support.
People Say the Darndest Things - Here are examples of what not to say at the airport. Statements like these not only delay the people who said them but can also inconvenience lots of other passengers if the checkpoint has to be evacuated:When asked if he had any prohibited items in his bag, a passenger at New York Kennedy (JFK) replied: “Yes, I have a bomb.”
Miscellaneous Prohibited Items - In addition to all of the other prohibited items we find weekly, our Officers also found firearm components, realistic replica firearms, stun guns, brass knuckles, an extraordinary amount of knives, ammunition, and batons.
Firearms - Here are the firearms our Officers found in carry-on baggage since I posted last Friday.
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.