You May Not Pack A Missile Launcher In Your Luggage Like This Man Did – A TSA PreCheck Reminder

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There’s a famous ancient proverb that says, “Don’t pack anything in your carry-on or checked bag that would cause a fire marshal to soil his pants.” Wise, succinct, but not always easy to remember.

USA Today reports that a man was detained in the Baltimore airport on Monday for stuffing a missile launcher in his checked bag. After questioning, the TSA learned he was active duty military, and intended to bring the equipment home as a souvenir.

.@TSA officers at @BWI_Airport detected this missile launcher in a checked bag early this morning. Man said he was bringing it back from Kuwait as a souvenir. Perhaps he should have picked up a keychain instead! pic.twitter.com/AQ4VBPtViG

— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) July 29, 2019

The TSA verified the weapon wasn’t live, and then confiscated the device before handing it over to state officials. Unbelievably, the passenger responsible still made his flight. That’s hard to believe, having nearly missed my flight for far less grievous sins in my bag.

This is a good reminder that there aren’t just rules for carry-on bags. Pay attention to the checked baggage rules, as well. The TSA reminds us, “Military weapons are not permitted in checked or carry-on luggage.”

You can check out this page for official TSA guidelines of both carry-on and checked bags.

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Featured image courtesy of TSA