Beware of Ammo Cans on Airplanes!

[+Snoogans]

I recently spent a week of training in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina. At the end of the week OzGuff threw an event for me and local cacher Laineybug, presented me with a NC/Asheville themed and decorated ammo can which I thought was beyond cool.

 

Anyhoo, when I arrived back home, I noticed that the zippers on my suitcase were all wrong from the way I usually close them up.... I look inside and there's a notice from the TSA that my bag has been searched.

 

Now, I am trained and able to detect bombs using an xray as part of my job, so I made sure that when I packed my bag my extra batteries were nowhere near any cables I had packed. I also made sure that the dense organic material I had packed (soap) was nowhere near the batteries or the cables. In no way would my bag look like it could contain a bomb as it was passed through an xray. I saw to that.....

 

However, as I put my shoes back on after passing TSA's checkpoint, I noticed a TSA agent rubbing a bomb sniffing swab on the foot cast of a fellow traveler. I took interest, because I am also trained to use bomb sniffing swabs.

 

Here's what I think happened with my suitcase... A TSA saw what could be the components of a bomb in my bag through the xray even though there was no way they could have thought they had a working bomb if they were well trained. They swabbed my suitcase and it picked up the trace amount of gunpowder or more likely the highly explosive PETN from ammo primers that would have been present. Imagine the look on their faces upon opening my suitcase as they find that decorated ammo can previously thinking they had just caught a terrorist.

 

Word to the wise. Ship your ammo cans or tell TSA up front that you have a bag that will swab positive for explosive if you have an ammo can in it. I was in a sleepy regional airport. I could imagine things might have been worse at a big airport. I got lucky.

[GOF and Bacall]

You mean to tell me they didn't take that bag out back and detonate it? What fun is there in that?

[+TrailGators]

Snoogans, if you had come to San Diego that never would have happened. We wouldn't have given you an ammo can!

 

P.S. OBX is awesome! I used to go every year there when I lived back east.

[+carleenp]

Once some years back I was traveling to Florida with two ammo cans filled with golf balls to give to a certain geocacher. At the little airport that I was flying out of, TSA directly searched the bags while you waited. I gave up mine and told the person that the ammo cans were full of golf balls, so don't open them upside down or anything. He asked why I had those and I said it was a joke as part of a game called geocaching. He said something like "Oh, I have a friend who is one of you weird people," and then he never bothered to open the cans.

 

BTW, ammo cans full of golf balls in luggage make a lot of noise!

Edited February 1, 2009 by carleenp

[7rxc]

You mean to tell me they didn't take that bag out back and detonate it? What fun is there in that?

 

They were probably busy doing that to the guy with the foot cast... since he couldn't take it off easily...

 

Doug

[+team moxiepup]

Maybe the TSA agent was hoping for a FTF.

[+mtn-man]

My bags get searched almost every time. I check a flame thrower though.

 

[+OzGuff]

I hear rumors that they confiscated the hillbilly nut scratcher though...

[Clan Riffster]

A TSA saw what could be the components of a bomb in my bag even though there was no way they could have thought they had a working bomb if they were well trained.

TSA? Well trained? Isn't than an oxymoron?

It's been my experience that the best way to reduce or eliminate the efficiency of any operation is to turn it over to the 'gubment'.

[+carleenp]

When I traveled several times/month, it was common for my bag to be searched about half of the time. I think that a fair number of them are opened regardless of anything showing up in the Xrays. It is the same with the swabs that they do at the security line. Some people are just randomly chosen for an extra look. I got a pat down the last time time that I traveled, and my bag had the little tag in it stating that it had been searched during one leg of the trip.

[+paleolith]

TSA? Well trained? Isn't than an oxymoron?

It's been my experience that the best way to reduce or eliminate the efficiency of any operation is to turn it over to the 'gubment'.

Hmm, methinks you forget the even bigger joke which was airport security before TSA.

 

Edwared

[Clan Riffster]

In the days before they strip searched little old ladies and 10 year old boys?

The days before they ignored folks who met the physical & social profile of the average terrorist because of political correctness?

The days before travel agencies told you to allow an extra couple hours to get through the airport due to the horrendous ineptness of the screeners?

Nah. I haven't forgotten.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

When I traveled several times/month, it was common for my bag to be searched about half of the time. I think that a fair number of them are opened regardless of anything showing up in the Xrays. It is the same with the swabs that they do at the security line. Some people are just randomly chosen for an extra look. I got a pat down the last time time that I traveled, and my bag had the little tag in it stating that it had been searched during one leg of the trip.

Not flying, but still... in 1997-98 I did a 14-month computer contract in Guatemala. Drove my Chevrolet from Birmingham Alabama to Bananera Izabal Guatemala 5 times. During those trips we made trips to Belize and Honduras. I have long before geocaching used ammo cans for carrying things and travel with 2 in the trunk. On 3 of those trips I never opened my trunk at any border station! The other 2 times the US border guards just gave it a cursory glance and ignored the visible ammo cans. My how times have changed!