Airport Security Workers Share 34 Of The Most Chaotic Confiscated Items

I once had my beanie baby taken away... I was 6. Apparently I may have concealed something in there for someone else.... Those bastards just wanted it since it was limited edition.

Im not TSA but I did get through security/customs with a 6 inch auto knife, some 7.62 rounds and some 5.56... I was pretty amazed. Granted I was coming back from 'Stan but I still had to go through 2 security checks and US customs....

Was a last minute pack due to doing patrols up untill a few hours before the first chopper leg out.

edit: since so many asked, Stan = Afghanistan.

I take 100+ flights a year on business, and have carried the same basic content in my same toiletry bag for 8+ years of doing this. Never had an issue -- until the time flying back from Cancun to Atlanta, the Mexican version of the TSA confiscated my tiny fingernail clippers. The reason (she says) is the one-inch file attached "could be a weapon". Tired and frustrated, I raised my voice to argue a little bit, and am immediately ringed by three armed guards -- one even pointing his rifle at me! I somehow managed to get up the gall to bend the file back and forth a few times until it snapped off, handed it to her, and put the rest of the clippers back into my bag, smiling. I still carry around that file-less clipper.

I bought a bottle of maple syrup at the duty free when I was flying back from Canada. I had to make my connection in DC but had to switch terminals and go back through security.

TSA took the sealed bottle out of the duty free bag and would not let me pass with it. He asked me what I wanted to do with it. I said "Well, I'm not going to drink it."

They threw it away :(.

I had a snowglobe confiscated in Charlotte 2 years ago. Even though it was still in the duty-free bag from France, THAT I BROUGHT ON THE PLANE coming from Paris to Charlotte. Nope, *now* all the sudden it's dangerous.

When my brother and I were 12 we were flying to Minnesota to see our cousins. We both juggle so we brought our juggling clubs and they were confiscated because the could be used as a weapon. So the took both of us to a back security room and asked us a bunch of questions asking us if we knew how dangerous the clubs were.

Not a security worker but... My family and I were visiting my aunt in Arizona, she's a South Korean immigrant and her passion is gardening. She grew these awesome carrots that were purple and gave some to my mom to bring back home. Every time the bag went through the scanner, the agents tore apart my mom's stuff, they didn't find anything, then they scanned the stuff again. This happened at least five times. My mom finally just gave the lady her purple carrots, after which she was allowed to move on. Purple carrots.

Once when I was around 10, my family and I were going to DisneyLand, so I thought I'd bring my pencil case with me so I could do homework on the plane. Turns out, there were scissors in there, so the guy just took them out and kept them. Granted he didn't take the whole case, but I was 10, with my family, and going to Disney Land.

I got new ones when I came back, but still hold a grudge against that one guy.

Like others, I was the traveler in this case:

In 2009, flew out of one airport in TX to go to NY for a weekend and only had a backpack (with a lot of pockets) since I don't check bags, so everything goes through the x-ray machine. No problems getting to NY. Upon my return trip, out of LaGuardia, I get pulled aside by two TSA agents about 3 seconds after my bag has been in the x-ray machine. At the time, I was working a a job in maintenance and hadn't considered that I failed to check all of the pockets of my backpack (which I also used for work) before packing my stuff. Which led to the TSA agents asking why I had a box of approximately 100 box-cutter blade replacements and various screwdrivers in my bag. I was immediately sweating bullets, thinking I was about to get thrown in jail, but then remembered that I had my work ID in my wallet which stated my position. I apologized profusely and explained that I really, truly had forgotten and that they could do whatever they needed with them, I could just replace them for my job. Both agents were actually pretty understanding, took the stuff to properly destroy it, made me do the extra pat-down, and only delayed me about 10min from time to entering the machine. I still felt like I had been put on some list, but it wasn't until I landed in TX later that I realized, TSA AGENTS ON MY FLIGHT OUT OF TX MISSED THEM ENTIRELY!

Figures I got lucky, but seriously, what? I thought that was the whole point of the agency. At least NY has their stuff together.

The guy in front of me when I was going to fly to Milwaukee had a tuba strapped to his back, and refused to take it off.

A tuba.

My dad was coming back from a hunting trip and accidentally brought 2 boxes of 12 Ga shot gun rounds and a box of 30-30 rounds through JFK. Best part is they wouldn't take them. He didn't care. He just wanted to catch his flight. But they forced him to take them and dispose of them in a safe location, aka the trunk of his car in the airport parking lot.

I don't work for the TSA but a while ago, I had a really weird (or just stupid depending on who you asked) sense of humor. Long story short: I glued a computer keyboard onto my trombone case. I just glued a qwerty on my case. A Harmless Conversation Starter, if you will. I'd had it for a couple months when i decide to go visit family. I'll bring my trombone! Great idea! But when I get to security... Here's how it all went down

I start seeing TSA and I slowly realize why this is bad. The keyboard is to my leg as I hold it so noone can really see it. I manage to get to the X-ray without a problem and its looking good. It's on the belt. Fits though the hole and I'm hoping the X-ray lady sees that the keyboard serves no function and there are no explosive wires running through my case. Fingers crossed. But when she looks at me and uses her radio I know what she saw. I forgot about the mechanical lyre. The 3 or 4 bottles of slide oil and cream. And the 3 feet of metal coiled cleaning wire. So this thing looks like explosive central.

That's when a TSA miraculously appeared. Like they only pulled him out for special occasions because he wasn't anywhere in the terminal when I got there. And I can see why. This gentleman is 6'6 and probably 230lb of mostly muscle. He grabs me and brings me into that "additional screening" room. (I feel like this is a good time to mention I'm a nerdy overweight 16 year old band geek) So he starts interviewing me which is basically just going back and fourth between "why do you have that?"
"I don't know"
"Is it yours?"
"Yeah but I just thought it'd be funny"
"Why do you have that?"
All the while Im watching TSA agents tear apart my case and what looks like mess up my trombone, but they literally can't get past the keyboard. They took my everything out of the case so all that's left is a keyboard and black cloth and they just kept swiping it with that explosive detection cloth. For like 5 minutes I watched a fat TSA lady with the most concentrated face and two pairs of gloves wipe every book and cranny on my case

Needless to say, I'm absolutely freaking out and that's when the big dude leaves and an old gray haired guy comes in and explains that I'm not gonna be able to take my "object". And I'm lucky he's gonna let me fly at all.
tl;dr Electonics and Musical Instruments are on the no fly list. But only together.

Water in a beer can, just water nothing else.

I don't work at an airport, but I got my barbecue sauce confiscated in St. Louis. I had bought it in Memphis at the airport and forgot I had it.

The black chick who was working for TSA got super sassy about needing to take it because it was over 3.5 ounces or whatnot. Sad, I asked if she had to. She insisted that she did and they were going to incinerate it. I suggested they have a post work grill out and cook some chicken or ribs. I immediately realized it sounded a tad racist, she did as well, and flipped out! "Excuseeeeee meeeeee, sir! We ain't using your sauce, its getting incinerated! Please step aside here for a random additional screening.".