Transportation Security Administration casts a pretty wide net with the variety of items passengers can travel with. TSA's What Can I Bring? guide is over 50 web pages long and boasts abstract items such as waffle irons, snowboards, nunchucks, wedding dresses and sewing machines.
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Still, not everything gets the thumbs up from TSA, and the agency recently stopped a woman from passing through with a set of Civil War-era weaponry.
Earlier this month, Lead TSA Officer Agent Justin Dupree discovered an unusual sight while examining a passenger's luggage. During his inspection, Dupree noticed a woman was carrying several cannonballs in her bag.
"My first thought was, I couldn't see a fuse and need to get some help quick," the TSA officer is quoted as saying in a TSA update. "I couldn't see the entire item but was scared I might have been holding a live explosive."
TSA Discovers Stolen Cannonballs in Passenger's Luggage
The cannonballs ranged from around one inch wide to the size of a grapefruit. TSA explosives specialists and the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office were called to investigate before confirming that none of them contained explosives.
"I had never seen anything quite this unique," Dupree said. "I've seen inert grenades and training munitions. But never an Indiana Jones-esque stolen artifact-type situation."
Despite being inert, the cannonballs were still prohibited from flying because they are considered artillery munitions.
Additionally, law enforcement concluded that the passenger was not the rightful owner of the cannonballs.
Upon inspection, law enforcement determined the cannonballs were stolen from Fort Morgan.
According to CNN, Baldwin County Sheriff's Office Captain Nathan Lusk said an out-of-state "juvenile" had taken the artifacts.
The passenger who attempted to fly with the Civil War-era cannonballs didn't know they were stolen, and claims that she acquired them at a roadside stand.
The five artifacts were returned to Fort Morgan. Once a major fixture during the Civil War, the fort is now a museum operated by the Alabama Historical Commission. The site's director did not press charges when the items were returned.
"I am very proud of the great catch," said Tara Corse, who is in charge of TSA in Alabama. "Even if inert and not active, travelers should avoid bringing weapons of any kind, including replicas, to the airport. They can cause security alerts, flight delays and safety concerns."
