Jaunted

It may seem obvious to you, but TSA officers around the country see a hand grenade, or something that looks like a hand grenade, in carry-on and checked bags alot more than you would think. It happens at least once a month, often more. There was a time a few weeks ago when there were three or so found in bags within a couple days. When an officer sees a hand grenade in the x-ray, it is pretty much guaranteed that the checkpoint will be shut down until a bomb appraisal officer or bomb squad member can clear the item. Often, the police are also called. For people who are racing to make a flight, it can mean that they'll miss it. We don't want that any more than they do. We've had everything from an explosives training person carrying training grenades to returning soldiers bringing inert hand grenades as souvenirs to a guy with a huge hand grenade shaped belt buckle. We've also had a few ladies with the perfume in the hand grenade-shaped bottle. My personal favorite is the person traveling with the "Complaint Department: Pull Here" plaque with the hand grenade on it - that also shows up as a hand grenade in the x-ray. Oftentimes, the person with the inert hand grenade doesn't think it's a big deal because it's not real. But again, when an officer sees a hand grenade in the x-ray it is. So while it may seem silly to you, getting anyone with a hand grenade or something that looks just like it to not pack it in their bag for a flight is pretty serious to us.