It’s easy to hate on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for being too strict with those carry-on liquid limitations and requiring everyone to turn off their cellphones before flight take off and landing. At the same time, it’s also fun to love them for running this wonderful blog full of things authorities confiscated from airports across the United States. For the past two years, Blogger Bob of the TSA has been running “Week In Review” posts that highlight the best of what the team snatched from people’s carry-on and checked baggage. Here’s our review of the strangest stuff people attempted to bring on board this year.
Stun guns disguised as cellphones
On several occasions this year, a several travelers attempted to bring stun guns on board by covering the exterior with what look like a bad imitation of a candybar cellphone. At a glance, these could possibly pass as cellphones, or at the very least toy ones. While it may be a clever way to carry stun guns around to keep yourself save from predators on land, it’s a pretty scary thing to be near on a plane. Could you imagine finding this at the airport lounge thinking it’s someone’s lost phone only to shock your face trying to make calls?
AT-4 Rocket Launcher, December 2012
Discovered in a checked bag at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport (LBE) serving Latrobe, Pennsylvania, someone decided it was a good idea to pack an 84-mm single-shot weapon along with their socks and undies. Who just has a military-sized rocket launcher sitting in their bag? The TSA may find prohibited weapons in people’s luggage every day, but a rocket launcher definitely gave us – as your average occasional travelers – a huge double take. Also, where can we get a luggage that fits something this gigantic? We’d love to maximize baggage room this holiday travel season.
Dagger Hair Brush/Comb
Oh, hey, that looks like an ordinary hair brush, could I have a borrow? OH MY GAH WHY IS MY SCALP BLEEDING. This is one truly terrifying way to bring a knife aboard a plane, because this thing legitimately looks like your average hair comb when assembled. The photo on the right illustrate the brush knives discovered within the same week in this past July, proving that such a weapon is not particularly uncommon. Maybe an interesting tool for ladies to keep themselves safe. Related: Lipstick knife.
Pocketknife inside a Pringles can, November 2012
Sometimes, it’s not about what you tried to bring on board but how. Such is the case with this ordinary pocketknife hidden inside a tube can of potato chips discovered at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). I don’t know about you but salty, bloody chips sounds like the worst flavor Pringles has invented yet. What are the chances that knife fell in there by mistake? Now this is why you don’t take candy, chips, snacks, anything from strangers.
Walker Knife, May 2012
Either this attempt to sneak a knife onto a plane is super clever or the person pulling this stunt is dumb as rocks. Sure, the knife doesn’t look all too obvious at a glance, but it is silly to believe walkers, strollers, and push carts don’t get investigated before they’re let in to the gates. It’s also a weird surprise that this walker knife was found at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) – one of the busiest hub in the nation. Maybe the traveler thought airport security would be too busy to notice.
Peanut Butter Pot
Peanut butter’s a pretty strange thing to take with you on a plane considering you can buy them wherever you’re headed in the states … but not if they’ve got some nice leafy greens in them. This year, the TSA caught several instances of travelers hollowing out a jar of peanut butter only to conceal a bag of weed inside. In hindsight, peanut butter and pot might go well together in times of need (not that I’m speaking from experience, ahem). Just don’t try to bring it on a plane quite in this manner.
[Images via The TSA Blog, top photo Carolina K. Smith MD/Shutterstock]
Is this news because these incompetents actually managed to do their job and find contraband or is it just TSA propaganda so they can continue to waste our money and molest our children? The media doesn’t report every successful pizza delivery by Dominos so why is TSA any different?
TSA has wasted billions of dollars on full body scanners, groping children and strip searching elderly women, but as usual finds every item on the x-ray belt in use over 20 years ago. Only five items have been found by body scanners since their deployment in 2008.
Based on GAO tests, for every gun intercepted one or two others get through. Despite these failures nothing ever happens.
Spending $80 billion in ten years to fund an agency made up of uneducated bullies with two page rap sheets is not a celebration, it’s a tragedy. TSA has become a jobs program for people who can’t get hired anywhere else.
TSA even allows a known pedophile, Thomas Harkins to remain employed as a TSA Supervisor in Philadelphia giving him access to search children. What kind of agency turns a known sex offender loose on children?
The press has been repeating TSA propaganda and excusing the agency’s failures despite five incidents of drug and gun smuggling, over a hundred criminal arrests including fifteen pedophile TSA screeners.
Media pandering to TSA and ignoring its failures is and slowing reform of this troubled agency and making air travel less secure.
TSA needs to be replaced.
Right so they caught a couple things… They literally stole much more… Including Americans dignity and any semblance of liberty.
TSA spilled my brother’s remains into my suitcase. I had complied with all of the TSA and federal regulations for transporting his remains. All required paperwork was packed with the remains, including the death certificate. His remains were in a TSA approved container, clearly marked, and I had made the mandatory declaration that the remains were in my checked luggage, as required. Didn’t stop them from manhandling his mortuary cremation container, spilling his remains, then crudely closing the box. I discovered this atrocity, to my horror, while unpacking at home. I cried off and on for two days thinking of the desecration and utter lack of respect for my brother’s mortal remains.
Screw those brown shirt bastereds !!
They snatched my freedom, and dignity a while back. Why do they hire such loser to work for TSA? low IQ people are easy to manipulate and bribe, that a major security threat there, bigger than whats in my pants (twss). Make the crew for each plane do the screening, they have something to lose and pride in their jobs.
ucK THE TSA!
“Snatched”? More like stole. The TSA is the only federal agency whose mission is to employ the unemployable -Priests excommunicated from the church for pedophilia, thieves and thugs.
Cry, why instead of crying here don’t you VOTE someone in that will remove your hated TSA? Whaaaaa crybaby’s , call your congressman/woman get them removed. OH here is why, because as much as you want to cry you don’t want to fly on an unchecked plane. Is that why, little crybaby? Do you really think crying on here is going to do anything, of course NOT , but then again you really don’t want anything done. I VOTE and write my representatives, DO YOU? no you just want to be a crybaby and cry, cry cry cry. goochie goochie goo, little baby’s. your so very happy here.
Because people didn’t take Ron Paul seriously…
Who the hell you talking to? You are the biggest baby I have seen on a comments page EVER. You are crying about something or someone and keep crying thru your whole useless statement. I bet your afraid of the dark to. I think someone needs to slap you around some. That’s what we do to crybabies like you. Wish I had the chance to do so myself. Quit crying on this page and go play outside like a good little baby. Wow, still can not beleive your post. Now like I already said, get up and go outside an play, BABY!!
Birch8 is a BIG crybaby is I ever met one. Complains about everything and does nothing! Sits behind his baby desk and complains in between baby bottles. I bet he has never voted once. To attack the indviduals on here like he did? Because they commented? Wow, Kindergarden mentality at its best.
Time to change your diaper Birch8 and be a good boy this time. Do Not pee in your face again.
Is that all you have “crap” ? Why don ‘t you get out and VOTE for someone that will remove your HATED (yes your a hater) TSA. I see why your name is “crap” as your full of it. VOTE loser.
I feel sad for people who think they need someone else to police them, and dictate how they live their lives.. it must be horrible to be scared and inept..
AT-4′s are actually not that hard to acquire. I’ve actually seen them down at the local mil surplus. Of course, they are de-milled, and can not fire.
That particular ‘launcher’ appears to be a training model, which can be fired only once and originally carried a flash-bang round, with black tape over its identifying yellow stripe.
Now, if someone had a rocket, they could do some damage to the plane, whether they have a launcher tube or not.
True. But inert AT-4 tubes are perfectly legal to own. Not sure how it stands up to FFA laws though…
Fuck off!!!!!!!
If we are truly @ war than why is the boarder wide open & unknown aliens walking around as if they owned the place… pure madness…
What about all those “strange” bulges they “found’ that we “civilians” ignorantly refer to as our Sex Organs?
El Al doesn’t need a TSA but has the tightest security. Weird
The HP torture test video was very poorly done. I think you guys missed the point.
Perhaps you’re commenting on the wrong article?