As the busy holiday travel season begins to wrap up, the Transportation Security Administration is reminding travelers to always double check what they are bringing in their carry-on bags to help avoid long lines at the airport.
Among the items TSA workers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport have found this year include: grenades, knives, power tools, and guns. The largest item seized at the checkpoint, a machete. Some are fake, but it doesn’t matter as it will still cause a major delay.
“You would not want someone in the cabin of an airplane holding this (fake grenade) up and even if it was a fake grenade, you could cause havoc on that plane,” said Sari Koshetz of the TSA.
In the past year, 36,000 pounds of items have been confiscated at the security checkpoint at Fort Lauderdale International Airport. A total of 48 guns have been confiscated, with four of the guns taken in the past weekend. Forty-one of the weapons that were seized had permits.
“Florida leads the nation in the number of concealed weapons permits issued; so we’re going to have more people carrying guns than other states,” said Broward Sheriff’s Office Chief Roy Liddicott. “And a lot of people carry those guns everywhere they go and I think it’s just a matter of being forgetful.”
Liddicott continued, “The typical excuse we get is, ‘I forgot.’ Well, I forgot is not acceptable. Check your bag. Check it again.”
Being forgetful could cost you thousands of dollars in fines, sometimes result in an arrest, and will almost always lead to a longer line at security and delays for all travelers.
Local
For more information about what you can and can’t take with you on your carry-on, click here.
