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The 5 Craziest Things Passengers Tried to Sneak by the TSA in December

Nick Ellis
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Nick Ellis joined The Points Guy in 2016 as an intern and is now Reviews Editor, primarily responsible for arranging, writing (some of), editing and publishing reviews of hotels and airport lounges along with helping manage, write and edit travel content.
Dec. 30, 2016
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3 min read
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The 5 Craziest Things Passengers Tried to Sneak by the TSA in December
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Every week, the TSA blogs about items (mostly weapons) that agents have confiscated at airports around the country, and the agency posts some of the crazier ones on its Instagram page. Below are the five most ridiculous items that were confiscated this month — at least according to us at Team TPG. As always, we're grateful that the TSA remains diligent in preventing passengers from boarding aircraft with such dangerous weapons.

1. Designer Dagger

This weapon may be a looker, but good looks don't go very far when trying to get a knife past the X-ray screening machines at a TSA checkpoint. This intricate dagger was discovered in a carry-on bag at Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF). Note that you can travel with knives, as long as they're packed safely in your checked luggage.

2. Roman-Style Sword

Here's another stylish weapon that someone tried to carry on a plane with them. The Roman-style short sword, known as a gladius, was confiscated at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL). Note that if you want to travel with your sword, you have to pack it in your checked luggage.

3. Hand Grenade

Someone who was meant to receive a hand grenade for the holidays is sure to have been disappointed, as this one was confiscated at a TSA checkpoint at Richmond International Airport (RIC). Remember that all grenades — even fake or inert ones — can't travel with you in carry-on or checked luggage.

4. Blowtorch

Highly-flammable propane certainly doesn't belong on an airplane. Good thing the TSA found and confiscated this propane blowtorch in Atlanta (ATL) before someone was able to bring it on board. You're allowed to bring the headpiece of the torch with you on your travels, but the canister is not allowed in either carry-on or checked luggage.

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5. Cattle Prod

Well, this is a new one. A passenger at Chicago's Midway International Airport (MDW) tried to bring this electric cattle prod on board a plane with them before it was discovered and confiscated by the TSA. Note that you can't bring any shocking device on board with you, but they can travel if they're packed in checked luggage with the batteries removed.

What's the strangest item you've seen at a TSA checkpoint?