A TSA spokesperson has released an image showing multiple bullets and a clean disposable diaper which agents said they retrieved from a passenger's baggage at New York's LaGuardia Airport.
U.S. Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said on X that officers discovered 17 bullets "artfully concealed" inside the disposable diaper that was found in the traveler's carry-on luggage on Wednesday.
An identity for the passenger wasn't immediately released by the TSA, but the agency said the man is from Arkansas.
TSA Administrator David Pekoske recalled an incident made public by the TSA in New England where an undeclared, but "properly packed" set of firearms were discovered by airport security at Leahy BTV airport in Burlington, Vermont. Pekoske said that all firearms must be not only properly packed, but they must be all properly declared as well.
The TSA outlines guidance on rules for traveling with firearms and ammunition on their website.
During the busy U.S. travel season, airport security face an increase in demand as passenger screenings increase markedly while travelers head to holiday destinations and to be with friends and family. By Wednesday, the TSA had already reported at least 2,496,494 passengers had been screened at security checkpoints in 2023 across the country. This number was up from 2,428,528 at the same time last year, and the number has been steadily increasing even over pre-pandemic numbers in 2019.
TSA checkpoints at world's most traveled airport could move faster
A $66 million project hopes to improve wait times at Atlanta's International Airport, speeding up screenings by hundreds of travelers per hour.
As the TSA hits that record travel screening number, officials with the agency also released a video on social media for parents to show their kids to help teach them about passenger screening rules for air travel.
The video features packing list recommendations from the agency, including the benefits of dividing the contents of luggage into sections inside. It also teaches kids how to properly fold clothing and what to look out for when traveling with toys.
