A souvenir picked up during overseas travel can sometimes fall foul of TSA security screeners, from knives to toy guns, and numerous other questionable items.
Add to the list a rocket launcher.
TSA security screeners at Baltimore/Washington spotted the offending item in checked baggage and the owner was questioned.
He turned out to be an active member of the military returning to Texas after a tour in the Gulf.
According to the TSA, he was bringing it back from Kuwait as a souvenir and it was not active.
The agency notes that ‘military weapons are not permitted in checked or carry-on bags’ although possession of certain military hardware is not illegal.
He was allowed to travel but without the rocket launcher which was handed over to the state fire marshal to be disposed of.
Not long ago a man was stopped with a rocket propelled grenade launcher at a Pennsylvania airport.
Weapons seizures from travelers’ bags are quite common at BWI, with 20 discovered so far this year, which is only two short of the full year total recorded in 2018.
