Current:Home > StocksEven the kitchen sink: Snakes and other strange items intercepted at TSA checkpoints -FutureProof Finance
Even the kitchen sink: Snakes and other strange items intercepted at TSA checkpoints
View
Date:2025-04-17 11:50:56
The Transportation Security Administration said it expects a record number of travelers at U.S. airports on Sunday as the agency braces for what is projected to be a crush at security checkpoints. More than 32 million people are forecast to pass through TSA screening between June 27 and July 8, according to the agency, a 5.4% increase from the same period last year.
With that tidal wave of travelers, TSA officials also expect to see a higher volume of banned items on conveyor belts.
"We've seen anything from chainsaws on carry-on baggage [and] we've seen larger power tools and saws," Michael Duretto, deputy federal security director for Los Angeles International Airport, told CBS News senior transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave. "Recently, we saw a hobby rocket — but it was a large rocket — that came to our checked baggage."
"You can say that people will try to pack the kitchen sink if they could," he added.
And try they have, said Martin Garcia, a TSA officer in Los Angeles, who told Van Cleave that he has seen someone try to carry on a kitchen sink, while another passenger attempted to bring deer antlers on board. Other strange things TSA agents have intercepted so far this year include:
- Throwing knives, such as those used by ninjas
- Samurai sword
- Machetes
- Bag of snakes
- Tasers
- Replica hand grenade
- Electric sander
- Fireworks
Bottles of water and firearms are the most frequently stopped items by TSA officials. TSA agents discovered a record 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints last year — most of them loaded. In the first quarter of 2024, the agency intercepted more than 1,500 firearms at airport checkpoints.
TSA also routinely intercepts more conventional items. In one recent incident, for example, Rep. Victoria Spartz, an Indiana Republican, received a citation for an unloaded handgun found in her luggage at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Although it is legal for airline passengers to travel with unloaded guns, the weapons must be locked in a hard-sided case and declared to the airline and placed in the passengers' checked baggage, according to the TSA.
TSA doesn't confiscate firearms. When a gun is detected at a checkpoint, the agent must summon local law enforcement to take possession of the weapon. It is up to the law enforcement officer to arrest or cite the passenger in accordance with local law, but the TSA can impose a civil penalty of up to almost $15,000, according to the agency.
- In:
- Los Angeles International Airport
- Transportation Security Administration
- Airlines
Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. He previously worked as a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald, Newsday and the Florida Times-Union. His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, the business of sports and bankruptcy.
TwitterveryGood! (34857)
Related
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Maine's top election official asks state supreme court to review Trump ballot eligibility decision
- Western New Mexico University president defends spending as regents encourage more work abroad
- ‘Access Hollywood’ tape of Trump won’t be shown to jury at defamation trial, lawyer says
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Las Vegas Raiders hire Antonio Pierce as head coach following interim gig
- Christian McCaffrey’s go-ahead TD rallies 49ers to 24-21 playoff win over Packers
- Macy's layoffs 2024: Department store to lay off more than 2,000 employees, close 5 stores
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Parents of Mississippi football player who died sue Rankin County School District
Ranking
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- What makes C.J. Stroud so uncommonly cool? How Texans QB sets himself apart with rare poise
- Judge orders release of ‘Newburgh Four’ defendant and blasts FBI’s role in terror sting
- Grand jury indictment against Alec Baldwin opens two paths for prosecutors
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Real Housewives of New Jersey Star Melissa Gorga Shares Cozy Essentials To Warm Up Your Winter
- Judge orders release of ‘Newburgh Four’ defendant and blasts FBI’s role in terror sting
- The Fate of Kaley Cuoco’s The Flight Attendant Season 3 Revealed
Recommendation
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
AC Milan goalkeeper Maignan walks off field after racist chants. Game at Udinese suspended briefly
FTC tied up in legal battle, postpones new rule protecting consumers from dealership scams
Biden signs short-term government funding bill, averting a shutdown
House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
Prince Harry drops libel lawsuit against Daily Mail publisher
The Non-Aligned Movement calls Israel’s war in Gaza illegal and condemns attacks on Palestinians
Endangered Whale ‘Likely to Die’ After Suspected Vessel Strike. Proposed NOAA Rules Could Prevent Future Collisions, Scientists Say