A discovery at airport security has proven the vigilance of Transport Security Administration (TSA) officers after what appeared to be a standard iPhone was intercepted Monday at Ronald Reagan National Airport, Virginia.
During regular checks, TSA officers discovered that the phone was, in fact, a stun gun, cleverly designed to look like a normal smartphone.
Lisa Farbstein, TSA spokesperson, took to social media to praise the officers' alertness.
"The @TSA team at @Reagan_Airport made the right call when they removed what looks like a mobile phone from a carry-on bag. It's actually a stun gun that was manufactured to look like a mobile phone. Good catch by the TSA team at DCA!" Farbstein posted on X, formerly Twitter.
While stun guns are legal in checked luggage under specific conditions, they are strictly prohibited in carry-on bags for safety reasons.
According to TSA guidelines, any electroshock weapons in checked baggage must also be rendered inoperable to prevent accidental discharge. This includes completely discharging the device, removing any batteries and packing it in a way that prevents accidental activation.
Bottles of water and firearms are the most frequently found prohibited carry-on items by TSA officials at airports. TSA agents discovered a record 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints last year, and 93 percent of those were loaded.
The TSA has screened higher passenger volumes this summer, including a record-breaking 3 million passengers—about the population of Arkansas—on July 7 alone.
In the first half of 2024, it reported intercepting 3,269 firearms at checkpoints, an average of 18 per day.
This isn't the first time a well-disguised item has been picked up by TSA agents. Earlier this year, staff stopped a Sharpie pen that turned out to contain a blade.
In a statement, the TSA has urged people to be aware of the items that are forbidden in hand luggage when traveling.
"While some items would seem to be an obvious not-going-to-travel-in-the-cabin type of prohibited item such as steak knives, switch blades and hatchets, you would be surprised at how often our officers need to intercept them at our checkpoints to assure the safety and security of travelers," TSA Spokesperson Sari Koshetz said at the time.
"A quick question to ask yourself before packing an item is whether you would want the passenger sitting next to you to have it. If your answer is no, then leave it home," she added.
Not all of the items TSA checks are dangerous, though. Earlier this year, an agent wasn't prepared for what they found inside one passenger's bag following the passenger's trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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