More passengers are attempting to smuggle so-called “cat’s eyes” through airport security checkpoints, prompting a warning from the TSA.
Cat’s eyes are self-defense weapons similar to brass knuckles, but have pointed edges shaped like cat ears.
The user inserts two fingers through two holes (the eyes) and closes his fists so that the sharp edges stick out. This allows the person to attack others with a punch.
Some of them are metal and some are plastic, but most attach conveniently to key chains and cost as little as $10.
“The frequency with which we see these items in carry-on bags is disappointing,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for 13 airports in upstate New York.
Pictured: a mix of “cat eyes” confiscated by the TSA. Some are metal and some are plastic.
He continued“We encounter these items on a daily basis and they delay passengers, who must stop and wait for our officers to remove the offending item and this delays the line for other travelers.”
The TSA has been aware of the proliferation of cat eyes since last year, when the agency modified a rule classify cat eyes as a type of brass knuckle.
Brass knuckles, like cat’s eyes, are not permitted in carry-on luggage, but can be stored in checked luggage.
If a passenger is found to have cat eyes in their bag in the security line, officers will pull them aside and search their bag.
They can return the gun to their car, give it to someone who is not traveling with them, or hand it to an officer so they can dispose of it.
“Our officers are diligent in their duties and are able to detect these weapons using the technology at our checkpoints. I commend them for their continued vigilance and ask travelers to be equally diligent and leave these items at home when packing for a flight,” Johnson said.
Cat’s eyes are certainly not the most dangerous contraband items the TSA encounters. In 2023, someone stuffed a pair of antique-looking throwing knives into their carry-on luggage. TSA agents quickly discovered them at Boston’s Logan Airport.
Also last year, TSA agents confiscated four replica rockets from a passenger at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
‘The TSA told him KTLA That cat eyes have become common at other airports around the country, not just upstate New York.
Recently, TSA agents have had to confiscate a record number of weapons overall last year, coming into contact with 6,737 firearms last yearOf that total, 93 percent of the weapons were loaded.
The agency seized about 1,800 weapons in 2013, meaning nearly three times as many firearms have been detected at airports in the past 10 years.
“We continue to see too many firearms at TSA checkpoints, and what’s especially concerning is the number of them loaded, which poses an unnecessary risk to everyone at the TSA checkpoint,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “Firearms and ammunition are strictly prohibited in carry-on bags.”
But finding guns in people’s bags isn’t even the most unusual thing TSA agents encounter.
In late 2023, the TSA released a list of its “top catches.”
Passengers attempted to board planes with throwing knives, rockets, a switchblade hidden in bread and marijuana in a diaper.
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