In 2014, a passenger attempted to pass through Burlington International Airport in Vermont with a giant wooden mallet. TSA confiscated the item for obvious reasons. Maybe next time they’ll put their giant mallet in their carry-on.
(Image via Instagram)
Animal cruelty is frowned upon by the TSA. This bag-o-eels was confiscated along with hundreds of other marine animals in a traveler’s checked bag at the Miami International Airport.
These two poor birds were found during a patdown at the Los Angeles International Airport. The woman traveling with them was arrested for smuggling and exporting endangered species out of the United States.
Nearly a thousand people were affected by flight delays when security was shut down after finding a live grenade in someone’s carry-on bag at Los Angeles International Airport.
(image via tsa)
In April 2014, a passenger tried to bring an assault rifle with three loaded magazines onto his airplane at Dallas Love Field. Only in Texas.
(image via blog.tsa.gov)
This one doesn’t sound so bad until you realize that they were hidden inside a Scooby Doo birthday card. Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport quickly responded to the situation.
(image via tsa)
In Milwaukee, this knife was found hidden inside the handle of a cane. The novelty item was not taken so lightly by the TSA.
(image via tsa)
In Honolulu last year, someone tried to check this IED kit, complete with detonators and active C-4 explosives. The bag was immediately removed from the airport.
(image via tsa)
A woman in Detroit brought a stun gun disguised as a tube of lipstick through security. Surprisingly, after the item was seized, she was allowed to still board her flight.
(image via tsa)
Although these shoes do not contain functioning firearms, they were a little too suspicious when passing through security at LaGuardia. The TSA confiscated the shoes to ensure passenger safety.
(image via TSAmedia_LisaF)
You never know when a bear attack is going to happen, so one Phoenix passenger decided to arrive at the airport prepared. Even if the bear repellent didn’t contain toxic material, it exceeds the liquid volume limit.
(image via tsa)
A Chicago passenger had this in his carry-on bag last year. I guess he thought he was going to run into some trouble with medieval knights.
(image via tsa)
No, not the Kingdom Hearts thing. Rather, a pocket knife concealed in what looks like a house key. By the way, this is a good reminder that knives of any size aren't allowed in carry-on luggage or on your person. You'll have to either put it in a checked bag or leave it at home.
(image via Twitter)
Who has these and why? If you're a circus performer, that's one thing. Still, you'd probably know better than to try and get throwing knives into the cabin of a plane. If you buy throwing knives, stars, or giant swords at a mall booth or an anime convention, make arrangements to get them home that don't involve trying to sneak them through an airport x-ray!
(image via Twitter)
The knife itself may be a little pedestrian, but the story behind it isn't. It was tucked inside the cushion of a man's wheelchair in such a way that the wheelchair had to be partially disassembled in order to remove it. He claims that it just fell down there somehow.
(image via Instagram)
This smoke grenade was yanked out of a checked bag at Las Vegas’ McCarran International. Turns out you can't bring grenades on a plane, even in your checked luggage. Who knew? (Answer: Everyone with half a bit of common sense)
(image via Instagram)
When we first saw this six-bladed throwing star, our immediate thought was, "That's the Glaive, from Krull." But it turns out that the Glaive only has five blades, so we're not sure what this thing is.
(image via Instagram)
We're more than willing to believe that this person is a legit Star Trek fan. This thing sure looks like a bat'leth, except it seems like the blades fold in. This could possibly make it even more useful than Worf's weapon of choice, until it gets confiscated, anyway. Then, it's no use to anybody.
(image via Instagram)
So many Batarangs! The TSA has confiscated a ton of them, so many that they've become a running joke on the TSA Instagram page. It's almost like a museum exhibit about how many different ways a Batarang can look while still being recognizable. Leave the Batarangs in your checked luggage, please!
(image via Instagram)
Someone seems to have put a throwing star into a saw blade. We're not sure why. It seems like it would be easier to just throw a saw blade at somebody, right? They just made it harder to throw. Maybe it's decorative; That would sort of make sense. In any case, what part of this made somebody think they could bring it onto a plane?
(image via Instagram)
We're going to go ahead and hope that this bad boy is a custom job. You know what the crazy thing about this is (aside from the Sanrio paint job)? You can actually carry handguns in your checked luggage, and people feel compelled to keep them on their person anyway.
(image via Instagram)
So, in fairness, this one-shot weapon had already been fired, meaning that there was no longer a projectile in the launcher. But...still. Somebody tried to bring a rocket launcher onto a plane! Well, okay, they call it an "anti-tank weapon" because it can launch many things. But, those “things” are generally rockets.
(image via CNN)
At JFK in New York, a passenger’s bag was spotted for a random check, but the TSA agent was not prepared for what would be found inside. Two handguns, 350 rounds of ammunition, and 33 pounds of marijuana were found in cat litter and coffee containers.
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In 2014, TSA agents found an 8.5-inch knife hidden inside of an enchilada at the Sonoma County Airport. The passenger claimed it was accidentally stored in there when she was saving her leftovers, but TSA agents still kept her weapon and food. Remember to double check your enchiladas before leaving home.
(Image via Instagram)
This may look like your average kindergarten project, but it’s actually a lot more. Inside this colorful modeling clay is a 9mm pistol which was confiscated from a checked bag at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in 2016. Guns are allowed in checked luggage, but it wasn’t declared, meaning the passenger could be arrested and face heavy fines.
(Image via Instagram)
Who would have thought there would be a knife hidden in a belt? It was a clever idea, but nothing gets past TSA agents at Detroit Metro Airport. In 2016, a passenger tried to walk through a checkpoint with this hidden weapon in his carry-on bag. Guess he'll just have to deal with saggy pants from now on.
(Image via Instagram)
This is a great idea for anyone that wants to be safe and inconspicuous. That being said, it’s probably a little dumb to try and walk through TSA with one of these. In 2015, the cellphone stun gun was discovered in some carry-on luggage at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Naturally, it was promptly confiscated.
(Image via Instagram)
So, a powder horn is a device that holds black powder. It’s easy to pour into an old-timey gun and simple to carry. Getting the horn itself across may have been possible, but the black powder? Not so much. In 2016, it was confiscated at Boise Airport from a checked bag. Black powder is prohibited from checked and carry-on luggage due to its explosive properties.
(Image via Instagram)
A mountaineer had a bad time when he tried to carry a homemade avalanche charge through Anchorage International Airport. The FBI quickly responded and arrested the passenger. The item didn’t have an actual way to detonate it, but it was still prohibited. To make matters even worse, it was in the passenger’s carry-on bag. Yikes.
(Image via Instagram)
Flintlock pistols haven’t been used in a long, long, long time, but they’re apparently not extinct. A passenger in Atlanta attempted to walk through TSA with an old-timey flintlock pistol in his carry-on. TSA playfully responded that “blunderbusses, cutlasses, rapiers, pikes, cannons or any other implements” weren’t allowed.
(Image via Instagram)
Surprisingly, it wasn’t Jackie Chan who attempted to get these across at the airport. These glow-in-the-dark nunchucks were confiscated at San Antonio International Airport when a passenger had them in their carry-on bag. Not only are they prohibited on a flight, but nunchucks are also illegal in some parts of the country!
(Image via Instagram)
Out of all the places a knife can be hidden, a car seat for a child? Welp, we can’t say that TSA agents aren’t thorough. This car seat knife was discovered in 2018 at LaGuardia Airport. It’s terrifying to think that it was actually hidden in the cushion of the seat.
(Image via Instagram)
This bag of Moose “nuggets” was found in someones carry-on bag at Juneau International Airport. If this Alaskan souvenir had been checked, there wouldn’t have been any problems. Although why would you want a bag of poop anyway?
TSA has pretty strict rules about what you can bring. One thing you can’t have is anything resembling a bomb, even if it’s fake. This “F-Bomb” was seized for obvious reasons at the Salt Lake City International Airport.
Not only is this a horrible way to treat animals, but this type of seahorse is also on the endangered species list. The dead animals were found in a bottle of liquor—which is also not allowed—at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
People really will try anything. This snake was discovered inside an external hard drive at the Miami International Airport. The woman responsible was cited by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
It shouldn’t surprise you that chainsaws aren’t allowed in carry-on bags. One traveler at the Albany International Airport was quite shocked when this weapon was seized.
You can’t bring scissors with a blade longer than four inches unless you get them checked. This huge set of ceremonial scissors was found at the Nashville International Airport in a carry-on bag.
No, you’re not dreaming, someone tried to get Freddy’s hand past TSA in their carry-on bag. The razor glove was found when the passenger was going through the TSA checkpoint at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
You can’t bring explosives on a plane, even if they’re no longer active. This very real (but thankfully inactive) mortar round was found in a checked bag at the Evansville Regional Airport. Explosives like this have to be seized and inspected, incurring fines and even criminal charges on the travelers carrying them.
