TSA officers at Harry Reid International Airport stopped a traveler on Tuesday after spotting a samurai sword tucked inside what looked like a soft guitar case at a security checkpoint. The item scanned as an object more than three feet long, and when airport screeners opened the bag and confirmed it was a blade, the passenger, who told officers it was a cosplay prop for her daughter, chose to check the sword with the airline instead of trying to bring it through the checkpoint.
As reported by KTNV, TSA Officer Anne Moriguchi noticed the soft guitar case on the X-ray and used advanced imaging to determine something inside resembled a long blade. The bag was moved to a search station, where Property Search Officer Maura Sloan asked the passenger about sharp items and, after they opened the case, Sloan and Supervisory TSA Officer Anna Rooks found an authentic samurai sword. "I knew the item was not a foam or plastic prop, so I immediately notified my supervisor," Sloan said, and Moriguchi added, "Even in situations where passengers have no nefarious intent, items like these can still pose a threat."
Not the First Wild Find at Security
TSA posts and local press frequently highlight the unusual or oversized weapons that turn up at checkpoints around the country, from throwing stars to samurai swords. As outlined by CBS News, TSA officers routinely intercept a wide range of banned items and the agency continues to find thousands of firearms at checkpoints each year. Those discoveries are a key reason screeners are trained to flag anything that looks like a weapon on X-ray machines.
What the Rules Say
The Transportation Security Administration forbids cutting and thrusting weapons in carry-on bags and requires many such items to be transported in checked baggage, according to TSA. "The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint," the agency notes, and officers typically give travelers options such as checking the item, abandoning it or taking it back to their vehicle. In this case, the passenger elected to check the sword with the airline after screeners determined it could not pass through the checkpoint.
