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| WWII era inert bazooka round discovered at (ORD). |
Inert
Ordnance and Grenades Etc. –
We continue to find inert hand grenades and
other weaponry on weekly basis. Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a realistic bomb, grenade, mine, etc.,
it is prohibited - real or not. When these items are found at a checkpoint or
in checked baggage, 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 WWII era inert bazooka round was discovered in a checked bag at Chicago O’Hare (ORD).
- Five inert/novelty grenades were discovered at four different airports this week. Two in checked baggage at Denver (DEN), and one each in checked baggage at Tri-cities (TRI), and Ontario (ONT). One grenade was discovered in a carry-on bag inside of an ammo can at Manhattan (MHK).
- An inert M-60 fuse igniter was detected in a carry-on bag at Tampa (TPA).
Submachine
BB Gun – I don’t
normally report the bb and pellet guns our officers regularly find, but this
one is unique. It’s a gas operated automatic bb machine gun. It was discovered
at Newark (EWR).
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| Gas Operated Automatic BB Machine Gun Discovered at (EWR). |
Items
in the Strangest Places
–It’s important to check your bags prior to traveling. If a prohibited item is
discovered in your bag, you could be cited and possibly arrested by local law
enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where prohibited items were
found in strange places.
- A knife was discovered in a bag at Dulles (IAD). It had been sewn into the lining.
- A bladed multi-tool was discovered concealed in a package of socks at Albuquerque (ABQ).
- A knife was discovered at Burbank (BUR) concealed underneath the lining of a bag between the handle and wheels.
- A belt buckle knife was discovered at San Francisco (SFO).
 |
| Belt buckle knife discovered at (SFO). |
What
Not to Say at an Airport – Statements
like these not only delay the people who said them but can also inconvenience
many other passengers if the checkpoint or terminal has to be evacuated:
- A passenger at Portland (PDX) told the officer checking his ID that he had a bomb in his cell phone
- A Denver (DEN) passenger in the gate area was overheard on his cell phone stating: “I am going to blow up the plane.”
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| Stun Gun (DCA) |
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.
If
you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you
can contact us by clicking here.
