Slingshot, handsaw, sledgehammer and more. TSA reveals top 10 prohibited items discovered at Idaho airports in 2024
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The following is a news release and photos from the Transportation Security Administration.
BOISE — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) displayed a collection of the Top 10 prohibited items found by security screening officers in carry-on luggage at five different Idaho airports in 2024. All of the items were discovered during routine X-ray screening in the security checkpoint.
10. Idaho Falls, January. AR-15 magazines. These magazines are designed for use with a rifle and come in various capacities. Bring one, let alone two, to the checkpoint and you will be questioned by law enforcement and likely fined.
9. Boise, March. Large hunting knife. TSA officers always ask passengers before a bag check if there is anything in the bag that is sharp or could injure them. Hope the passenger said yes!
8. Lewiston, February. 19 rounds of .380 caliber ammunition. Whether traveling with a single round – or 19 of them – ammunition must be transported in checked baggage and declared to the airline. Don’t forget to make sure it is packaged properly.
7. Idaho Falls, May. Sledgehammer. This item is used to break through concrete, brick and other hardened surfaces. Did the passenger forget that no inflight construction projects are allowed?
6. Boise, May. Bowie knife. Named after frontiersman Jim Bowie, this knife can be used for many purposes. Regardless of how it is used, knives, including this one with a clip point perfect for piercing and precision work, are never allowed in carry-on luggage.
5. Sun Valley. Large slingshot, August. This one hits the bullseye on our prohibited items list! Guidance on how to travel with various sporting equipment is available on the “What Can I Bring?” tool at TSA.gov.
4. Twin Falls. Double-edged knife, July. Any way you slice it and despite its unique decorative handle, this double-edge knife can’t travel in carry-on luggage. Next time, check it.
3. Boise. Knife and firearm magazine, September. Two wrongs didn’t make a right. That’s what a passenger found out when they brought this knife and a Sig Sauer 9 mm magazine in a single carry-on.
2. Idaho Falls. Handsaw, November. Handsaws are handy, but no DIY projects are allowed post- security or onboard an aircraft. Please place anything with a blade in checked baggage.
1. Boise. Firearms of all types, December. A .6 mm BB gun, a non-functional 3-D printed Glock, a pepper spray infused replica firearm and two loaded handguns all came to the BOI security checkpoint in December. Thank you to the TSA officers who intercepted these items and kept them off the plane.
When a TSA officer discovers a prohibited item in carry-on luggage, they offer the traveler the opportunity to place that item in checked luggage, turn it over to a non-traveling family member or friend or return it to their vehicle if it is parked nearby. If the traveler opts not to do any of the above, they can abandon the item to TSA for disposal. Anything that resembles an explosive, whether inert, active or a replica, is never allowed in carry-on or checked baggage.
TSA officers are never permitted to allow a prohibited item into the sterile area of the airport. If the item is illegal locally, TSA will notify airport law enforcement to resolve the matter. Some items are not allowed to travel on an aircraft because they are considered an explosive or hazardous material.
TSA officers encounter prohibited items daily at the security checkpoint and each discovery slows down the security screening process for all travelers. Just this week, TSA announced its annual Top 10 list of items discovered during screening in 2024 at airports nationwide.
In addition to these prohibited items, TSA officers discovered a record 64 firearms at Idaho’s six airports in 2024`. Every one of these firearms was discovered during the routine X-ray screening of carry-on property in the security checkpoint.
Below is a summary of TSA firearm discoveries by airport for the past six years. Not only was a record set for TSA Idaho, TSA officers at two airports – BOI and IDA – discovered a record number of firearms in 2024.
