Woops. (TSA and Airport Police incident)

[suspiciousmind]

A friend gave me a gag gift he got from a gun show for my birthday in November. A pair of American Flag "brass" knuckles. 

I took them and threw them in my bag to put away when I got home... Except I must've forgotten and didn't. Fast forward to today.. I'm flying to California and was telling the artist I'm working for about how I always get that feeling I'm leaving something dangerous in my bag like a knife. Then, the TSA agent says, "Yep. You did." I figured it was a folding knife or something, but then I saw it outlined very clearly in the scan. Freakin' knuckles. My heart sank immediately because I know how much of a headache this could turn into...

I said to the man, "Dude, obviously I wouldn't intentionally try and bring that on the plane. I would be an idiot to think that would work."

They brought two cops armed with AR-15s(which I thought was awesome) to talk to me. They took my ID and checked me out and then asked if I wanted to surrender it, which of course I was cool with.  

It was my fault. I was in a hurry and checked every pocket for routine stuff like spare mags and loose rounds.. EXCEPT the interior pocket that I put the knuckles in. 

I was wearing my TRUMP Rambo inspired tshirt and the TSA agent told the cops to tell me that the only reason I was free to go was because of my Trump shirt. LOL

Anybody else do anything similarly stupid?

 

btw, I've been more lurking lately. I just bought a motorcycle and have been preoccupied with that. Haha

 

[i1afli]

I just keep losing pocket knives to TSA becasue i forget to leave them at home...that's why i carry a cheap pocket knife.

[Omega]

Never left stuff in a bag but being that I was a Logistician my last few years in the Army, I flew in and out of country commercially quite often.  Try showing up positive on the explosives residue test a few times...I'm surprised I didn't end up permanently on a no-fly list.  Luckily, they recognized that many soldiers coming home from conflict areas may be contaminated no matter what they do, so never stripped searched, just given extra scrutiny.  My travel companions have had to surrender a few pocket knives now and then, silly critters.  And have had to get with the embassy a couple of times when certain countries wanted to confiscate our weapons, yea just what you need, showing up in indian country without your weapons or gear.

[KahrMan]

I had a dive knife with a 8" serrated in my carry on bag once.  It was about 5 am at DFW.  The workers were all half asleep until one yelled knife.  It was kinda funny.  This was back in the mid 80's.  I was heading out to Cozumel to go scuba diving.  They just carried my bag for me and made sure it got into checked luggage.  I still chuckle when I remember this one fella jumping out of his chair to grab my bag.

[Ronald_55]

Never done this on a plane, but ended up at a Federal building once with my EDC knife back in 2003. Security was nice, but seemed a little irritated. I got my knife back on the way out. 

[Dane]

Made it up to the security check at a federal building once before I realized I still had my gun on. Pretty sure the security guy knew what happened when I did a u turn just to return a few minutes later.

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[bersaguy]

1 hour ago, Dane said:

Made it up to the security check at a federal building once before I realized I still had my gun on. Pretty sure the security guy knew what happened when I did a u turn just to return a few minutes later.

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That happened to me once also. I was going to the courthouse for my divorce and my lawyer walked through metal detector and I hesitated. I looked at my attorney and he knew right away what was happening. He explained to the Dupties at the gate what was going on. They just told me to take it back and lock it in my vehicle and come back in. I did and went right through....................one of those moments.

[peejman]

In a prior life I flew to Detroit a lot. Pre 9/11, I hand carried car parts that strongly resembled pipe bombs.  I explained what they were, showed drawings and such, and they let me carry them. 

Post 9/11, I got busted for a pocket knife in my bag at the Detroit airport.  No idea how long it had been in there, probably a dozen trips before they found it. 

[quietguy]

I have lost a couple of pocket knives at events that I wasn't expecting metal detectors or wanding, but I am really careful with flying.  

I have separate suitcases and computer bag that I only use for air travel. 

[Lumber_Jack]

I took, or tried unknowingly, a fully loaded G20 mag. It was in the side water bottle pocket of a messenger bag. Completely forgot. The X-ray agent looked at the bag for what felt like 10 mins while I racked my brains as to what was in there. Apparently since it was under a certain number of rounds all I had to do was surrender it to a local Nashville PD. 1 more round and it would have been the Feds. They gave me the option to take it back to my truck but it was too close to flight time so I just let it go.

[DaveTN]

Pre 9-11 I worked for a machine tool manufacturer, one of our distributors used a wire EDM machine to cut a pretty detailed 1911 in a 1/8” plate for a customer whose hobby was guns. They slipped it in an envelope and he put it in his briefcase.

As he went through the security check at the airport, the guy stopped the machine and called the cops over. He told them “This guy has a gun in his briefcase”.  The cops checked it out and told him he probably should put stuff like that in his checked baggage. Then after discussing how cool it was they gave it back and let him go.

Nowadays TSA would probably take him in the other room and beat him with a rubber hose.  

[Ronald_55]

4 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

Pre 9-11 I worked for a machine tool manufacturer, one of our distributors used a wire EDM machine to cut a pretty detailed 1911 in a 1/8” plate for a customer whose hobby was guns. They slipped it in an envelope and he put it in his briefcase.

As he went through the security check at the airport, the guy stopped the machine and called the cops over. He told them “This guy has a gun in his briefcase”.  The cops checked it out and told him he probably should put stuff like that in his checked baggage. Then after discussing how cool it was they gave it back and let him go.

Nowadays TSA would probably take him in the other room and beat him with a rubber hose.  

I remember seeing a movie where a guy stuck a sticker on a guy's luggage and the backing of it had metal in the outline of a grenade.  So in the xray, it looked like one. Kind of always wanted to try that out...you know just to see....not on anyone that I do not like...really..

[suspiciousmind]

Btw, while the cops and TSA were distracted by me and my novelty set of brass knuckles, the girl I was flying with got her stun gun through TSA without a hitch in her purse. 

[btq96r]

I had a small folding knife in my bag that the TSA in Indianapolis found as I made my way home from overseas.  Somehow the MPs on customs inspector detail missed it when I went through Kuwait, otherwise I could have just put it in my checked bag during the inspection there.  Not sure when, but at one point, it made its way into the laptop compartment of my backpack.  Ironically, I had been wondering about it for a bit, thinking I had left it in Afghanistan.    The agents in Indy we're quite chill about it, offered to let me pay to have it mailed, but I didn't feel like coughing up the cost.

[A.J. Holst]

Had a tube of toothpaste confiscated last week by Philly TSA. Knoxville TSA passed it through outbound.

Few years ago I had a credit card tool taken by Orlando TSA. I "smuggled" it through Knoxville. My wallet went through screening in Knoxville sitting on end against the side of the tray. In Orlando, it was laying flat, clearly showing the knife blade...No security check.

Currently in Palm Springs, from Knoxville, checked bag, no contraband, smooth through security.

Heading home Friday and the Obama family is arriving in PS for some r&r so I assume horrendous additional security at PSP

[analog_kidd]

We went to a Titans game a year or so ago, and I forgot to leave my $80 knife in the car, which was parked about a mile away, and would be nearly impossible to fight against the sea of people coming across the bridge. There was a big sign right above the metal detectors, "no gun or knives of any kind."  I walked out to the parking lot and found a place to stash it near a jersey barricade. I looked around to make sure nobody saw me, but I was certain it would be gone by the time I left. Somehow or another it never got spotted, and I collected it on my way out.

[suspiciousmind]

I was digging through my backpack and I realized that they completely missed my 5 inch tanto blade from Cold Steel!!!!! What a joke!!!

[mikegideon]

29 minutes ago, suspiciousmind said:

I was digging through my backpack and I realized that they completely missed my 5 inch tanto blade from Cold Steel!!!!! What a joke!!!

Yep. They're the cream of the crop. It's exactly what happens when you give a fast food worker $15/hr.

[Danger Rane]

Two situations come to mind. The most recent was in November at the Ryman Auditorium. It had been a year since I was there last and had no idea they started a security checkpoint outside to include metal detectors. Didn't have enough time before the show so I stashed my knife in the bushes along the side. The year before I had my pistol so I would have had to miss the show as I wouldnt be stashing that. Anyway we came out after the show and the stage crew were already loading the truck up just feet away from where my knife was hiding. Had to come back the next morning and get looked at like a crazy person by walkerbys as I rooted around in the bushes till I found my knife (and a lot of other weird stuff). 

The other occasion was several years ago flying from Denver, CO to Fayetteville, NC. I had 8 spare SCAR trigger modules (which to the casual observer look like AR lowers). On my flight to Denver I had declared them as firearms, even though they are a non SN# part on that gun. No issues. Flying out of Denver the checkin lady was confused and thought that they needed to be in 8 individual locked cases instead of my 1 pelican case. She wasn't budging and I had to make the flight so against my better judgement I explained that they actually were firearm parts not actual firearms. She said oh ok just check it like a regular bag. Upon arrival in Fayettevile I had some Feds waiting for me with my pelican case. It turns out that TSA scanners had picked up the 8 "firearms" and noted that there was no declaration card so they opened it up (never bothering to call or page me). When they saw the Auto markings on the selector levers they elevated it to the Big boys who had all kinds of questions about why I'm (a civilian) traveling with 8 full auto lower receivers with no identifying marks. Despite me graciously educating them about what is technically the receiver for that weapon system and showing them chain of custody paperwork and it ended up taking my civilian boss and a SGM from Fort Bragg coming down to the airport that night to straighten them out. Flew with the same package several more times but ALWAYS declared them and never had any more issues. 

[Ronald_55]

 

6 hours ago, Danger Rane said:

Had to come back the next morning and get looked at like a crazy person by walkerbys as I rooted around in the bushes till I found my knife (and a lot of other weird stuff). 

Interested to see what else you found in the bushes. Never ceases to amaze me what turns up in the weirdest places.

 

[Danger Rane]

4 hours ago, Ronald_55 said:

 

Interested to see what else you found in the bushes. Never ceases to amaze me what turns up in the weirdest places.

 

A used condom, a syringe, a container of dental floss and 5 or 6 of the little shot size liquor bottles, 4 of which were still full. Seems like a waste, I would have at least chugged them over hiding them in the bushes. If the Nashville wino's were smart they would be combing through those bushes every night after a show. 

[Ronald_55]

27 minutes ago, Danger Rane said:

A used condom, a syringe, a container of dental floss and 5 or 6 of the little shot size liquor bottles, 4 of which were still full. Seems like a waste, I would have at least chugged them over hiding them in the bushes. If the Nashville wino's were smart they would be combing through those bushes every night after a show. 

Maybe they are scared of the syringes and used condoms. Lol

[mikegideon]

4 minutes ago, Ronald_55 said:

Maybe they are scared of the syringes and used condoms. Lol

There is ALWAYS a used condom in the bushes. It's why they put the bushes there to begin with.

[R_Bert]

My team and I were coming back from San Carlos Bariloche, Argentina, and were in the airport lounge in Buenos Aires. 

We noticed a *lot* of activity by security, and the local public address system calling out every few moments. After about a half-hour (Our Spanish was poor), I realized that the PA was naming a very poor rendition of my *partner's* name!

My partner shyly raised his hand, and motioned to a security guard.  He was escorted off by 3-4 very annoyed guards.

The problem - A *large* equipment case 36"x24"x24", that they could not x-ray (too much attenuation).  The cause?  Chocolate bars.  The case was full of chocolate. Bariloche is the chocolate capital of South America, and... apparently, chocolate bars remind x-ray technicians of you got it... explosives.  A half-pound lighter (for their troubles), the case went on to baggage check-in, and our team member was returned to us - slightly embarrassed, but relieved.