Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/21/tsa-confirms-miniature-magic-w.html
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That was a better response than I was expecting from the normally pathologically humourless TSA.
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Pre-911, Canada wouldn’t let me take my cigar cutter on my keychain l that LOOKED like a bullet BACK to America.
My pocket knife was ok to take on.
At the risk of awakening them, I held up both of the items and said, “So I can’t take this on, even thought it can’t hurt anyone.”
“No, it looks like a bullet.”
“But I can take this on, even though I can stab someone.”
“Yes, it is under 4”."
Got a card board box and check in the cigar punch.
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i’m no Hordie, but this is unacceptable.
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So I can’t just claim it’s a walking stick anymore?
(from http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=922)
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In truth, their risk assessment was spot on. Those cigars are more deleterious to your health.
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The follow-up is worse, once someone points out the rules about power banks.
Nice catch-22.
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Found out a few years ago light sabers cannot be carried on planes. Possibly use of the force may interfere with landing and take off procedures.
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Sense of humor is nice and unexpected, but doesn’t excuse the “symbols of things are real things” craziness. How did this ever become a thing? Why is it still a thing?
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While I like the reply shows that there is at least one human over there, the whole thing is still stupid.
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Can also confirm that if you tour the Louisville Slugger factory in Kentucky (fun tour BTW!), you are also not allowed to take on the souvenir bat they give you. It has to be checked, even though it’s a little over a foot long. I imagine if you’re a master of a stickfighting martial art, you’d do some damage, but it’s no more dangerous than beating someone with a laptop.
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Don’t give them…
Oh, too late.
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Back in my teenage punk years my friends and I would hide those bats up the sleeves of our leather jackets. Used for warding off over-aggressive skinheads.
Maybe not enough to knock somebody out, but can definitely be enough to get what you want.
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I bet they wouldn’t have treated Alliance gear this way.
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And thank you for your service in warding off skinheads. We need more of that.
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More stories of when I’ve gotten on trouble taking things on airplanes.
Last time I went to India was a few years ago. I bought a bunch of touristy crap, because when I’m stuck somewhere it’s the perfect time to get ahead on my Christmas shopping for the family.
For my little brother (with whom I have a big, useless gift war with) I bought what they told me was a “Yogic Healing Wand”. It’s obviously bullshit, but it’s a giant fucking wand made of marble, quartz and has a big crystal on the end. It was ridiculous and more suited to D&D, frankly. Here, I found a photo of the big bastard:
On my way back I stopped for a few days in Germany, and on my way out of Frankfurt I’d repacked, so it was in my carryon. Some German TSA fellows take me aside to search my bag, and take the wand off where they speak about it out of earshot–not that I speak more than a few words in German anyways. One gentleman smacks the ball end into the palm of his hand to demonstrate how clubby it is, and the other takes it and makes stabby motions with the crystal end to demonstrate how stabby it is. He comes back and says very plainly, “You cannot take zis on ze plane.”
Anyways, into checked baggage it went to arrive home, alas, in 2 pieces. I glued it back together, and my brother I presume does nothing with it, because it’s giant and useless. But he’s pleased with this ongoing gift war.
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The folks who run TSA’s Instagram and Ask TSA are usually actually pretty amusing. TSA Instagram is fun just for the weird shit that people try to bring on planes.
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They forgot to note that if it’s a Li-Ion battery in there it has to stay home because those cannot go in checked luggage (this would likely qualify as a “portable recharger”).
https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/hazmat_safety/more_info/?hazmat=7
