Author Topic: What is the craziest thing you (accidentally) took past TSA? (Read 8034 times)

cgr · « **on:** November 17, 2020, 12:47:08 PM »

Couldn't find an existing thread- kindly point out if there is one.

Here's my story:

In July or August of 2018 my husband and I took a short weekend trip by car. We were in a hurry when leaving, and at the last minute remembered that we'll need a knife- I placed it in my laptop bag since that was accessible at the moment, and promptly forgot about it. Apparently we didn't use it over Shabbos because that's where it stayed.

Subsequent trips by plane with my laptop bag, and the knife buried under the laptop:
(Keep in mind that I always take my laptop bag as a carry on)

August
JFK- DEN (missed the flight but passed security)
LGA- DEN
DEN-JFK
EWR-ORY
CDG-PRG
PRG-NCE
NCE-CDG
ORY-EWR

September
PHL-BNA

We drove from Nashville to Kentucky, and for some reason when we got there I shook out my laptop bag to find something, and guess what fell out. I was dumbstruck. The knife had made it through security no less than 9 times! Now that I knew about it I was nervous to try it a tenth time, and I decided to leave it in the hotel room.

The offending knife when I found it:

Something Fishy · « **Reply #1 on:** November 17, 2020, 12:50:37 PM »

Tuna sandwich.

Oh wait, they actually confiscated that

.

Such much safety.

cholent · « **Reply #2 on:** November 17, 2020, 12:55:37 PM »

OP reminds me of when I brought one of those olive wood challah boards with the knife inside to the Kosel. Got it past security no problem.

Euclid · « **Reply #3 on:** November 17, 2020, 12:59:33 PM »

To be fair, serrated knives without a pointed tip aren't really great weapons. A bad tuna fish sandwich OTOH...

cholent · « **Reply #4 on:** November 17, 2020, 01:01:20 PM »

Quote from: Euclid on November 17, 2020, 12:59:33 PM

To be fair, serrated knives without a pointed tip aren't really great weapons. A bad tuna fish sandwich OTOH...

In my case it did have a pointed tip. But I have a less threatening look than @Something Fishy

jj1000 · « **Reply #5 on:** November 17, 2020, 01:11:13 PM »

Many arguments that the TSA have NEVER stopped a terrorist

ckmk47 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 17, 2020, 01:11:23 PM »

Pesach trip to the Statue of Liberty many years ago. I brought a knife from my set of cutlery to make sandwiches. Oh well, at least it was the milchig set.

YitzyS · « **Reply #7 on:** November 17, 2020, 01:14:30 PM »

I love this thread! I just hope that TSA finds it before terrorists do.

cgr · « **Reply #8 on:** November 17, 2020, 01:25:15 PM »

Quote from: cholent on November 17, 2020, 01:01:20 PM

In my case it did have a pointed tip.

And in my case it was a brand new, never-used-before knife.
I'm sure the TSA agent was like "eh, I'm not in the mood of making her unpack her bag now, after all it's serrated without a tip so what the hell".

cgr · « **Reply #9 on:** November 17, 2020, 01:28:18 PM »

Quote from: cgr on November 17, 2020, 01:25:15 PM

And in my case it was a brand new, never-used-before knife.
I'm sure the TSA agent was like "eh, I'm not in the mood of making her unpack her bag now, after all it's serrated without a tip so what the hell".

Oh hold on- did I write

Quote from: cgr on November 17, 2020, 01:25:15 PM

the TSA agent

?

Meant to write the 5 TSA agents and the 4 EU security agents.

S209 · « **Reply #10 on:** November 17, 2020, 01:32:46 PM »

IMO the TSA serves as a deterrent, and they’re more visible and memorable (and therefore more useful) when they stop ordinary people with ordinary items.

I know, I know, we all hate the TSA.

Dan · « **Reply #11 on:** November 17, 2020, 01:53:11 PM »

TSA is too focused on water and peanut butter to have time for knives and guns.

stooges44 · « **Reply #12 on:** November 17, 2020, 02:23:09 PM »

I went straight from camp to yeshiva (more or less) so all my bags were still pretty much packed and in my young naivete I didn't think to realize that my sleep away camp things wouldn't exactly fly (literally) on a plane.

So, to the horror of my parents who watching from behind the gate, the guy spent at least 20 minutes putting my bag through the machine again and again each time confiscating more and more including:
1) fireworks
2) a mini tool set
3) a whole array of pocket knives of all sorts and sizes
4) a switchblade
5) a hammer
6) a bunch of other things that I can't recall

At then end, he had to call over a 2nd agent to help him cart everything away, and a 3rd agent came over to me and said if I wanted to keep most of it I would be able to check the bag, at that point I was so scared they would arrest for trying to bring all that stuff I said no thanks and ran as fast as I could to the gate.

Sure enough, when I got my bags in TLV I saw all 3 had been opened and searched with a letter inside telling me so which didn't surprise me at all, if I was them I also would've searched them out of basic caution because clearly I don't know how to pack for an oversees trip.

PS - For the icing on the cake, this was only a few years after 9/11 and I will never forget the look he gave me when he pulled out the switchblade, I truly thought I'd be hauled off to some windowless dungeon.

lcm · « **Reply #13 on:** November 17, 2020, 02:53:30 PM »

A yogurt

I was once stopped for having a kids scissors in my carry-on, but when they saw it was round-tipped, they let it go

cgr · « **Reply #14 on:** November 17, 2020, 02:57:22 PM »

Quote from: stooges44 on November 17, 2020, 02:23:09 PM

1) fireworks
2) a mini tool set
3) a whole array of pocket knives of all sorts and sizes
4) a switchblade
5) a hammer
6) a bunch of other things that I can't recall

Joeymc · « **Reply #15 on:** November 17, 2020, 03:00:48 PM »

Water bottle on a recent trip

Dan · « **Reply #16 on:** November 17, 2020, 03:01:57 PM »

In Thailand they wanted to take away our jar of peanut butter, but we asked if we could make sandwiches with it and they said sure.
Made 2 sandwiches, put the PB jar right back in our bag, and continued on our way.

Security theatre at its finest.

cgr · « **Reply #17 on:** November 17, 2020, 03:07:02 PM »

In China (Beijing) they carted me off to a room. My parents were frantic thinking they'll never see me again...
Turns out I had a battery pack in my bag that didn't clearly state the amps. They made me throw it out- very anticlimactic ending to a nerve-wracking few minutes...

moish · « **Reply #18 on:** November 17, 2020, 03:11:54 PM »

Can of cod liver

@Something Fishy

Yehuda57 · « **Reply #19 on:** November 17, 2020, 03:19:21 PM »

My toddler son