I don’t know how many times we’re going to have to tell you folks this, but please do not try to bring anti-aircraft ammunition through airport security. Apparently, a traveler in Hawaii didn’t get the message, because he tried to do just that, and he got in a lot of trouble.
A checked luggage room at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu had to be evacuated on December 8 after officials found anti-aircraft ammunition inside a thermos at around 5:30 a.m. local time, according to Business Insider. You shouldn’t be doing stuff like that, my guy. The Transportation Security Administration told BI that X-ray tech flagged the checked bag for a potential security threat. Then, TSA officers and explosive specialists reviewed the X-ray image before contacting law enforcement, and they contacted the big dogs.
State sheriffs, the Honolulu Police’s bomb squad and the U.S. Air Force’s explosive ordnance disposal unit all showed up at the airport, and the TSA decided to evacuate the room “out of an abundance of caution,” according to BI.
“They identified the suspicious item as a .50 caliver anti-aircraft round of ammunition inside of a thermos, the TSA reportedly said. The statement to BI also said that operations at the airport returned to normal about two hours later at 7:30 a.m. local time.
According to Newsweek, people carrying guns and ammunition on airplanes is becoming a really big issue:
Airports across America are struggling with more passengers trying to carry guns and ammunition onto planes as post-9/11 restrictions ease. The TSA at Pittsburgh International Airport said on Friday that the number of passengers carrying guns is now an epidemic, with the body adding that the national total of guns confiscated is reaching record figures.
In a statement on December 8, the TSA said officers have prevented more than 6,000 guns from getting through security checkpoints so far this year.
Last year, 6,542 firearms were caught at checkpoints nationwide, and the agency is on track to surpass the record-setting number of guns caught nationwide in 2022.
Right now, the exact fate of the guy who tried to bring goddamn anti-aircraft ammunition on an airplane is unknown, but I cannot imagine it’s going to be a fun time for him.