Internet users were left amused this week after they found out what Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents had discovered in one of Florida’s airports. Shockingly, the agents had caught one passenger trying to subtly pass through security with a gun hidden inside a raw chicken.
A flawed plan
The event occurred on 27th September of this year when agents seized the handgun from a traveller flying to Port-Au-Prince in Haiti with the Kikiri Quirch brand baking hen as part of their carry-on luggage.
One agent found a comedic way to announce the strange discovery on Instagram on Tuesday, 8th November, as they packed the post with poultry-inspired puns. The TSA account humorously describes the unusual encounter with the gun at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Poking fun at the incident, the agent labels the passenger’s plan as “a baste of time” and “half-baked”, racking up over 32,000 likes and an onslaught of comments on TSA’s page in just two days.
Strict policies
Individuals on both Instagram and Twitter responded to the news with more quips, with one user describing it as “an attempt at fowl play”.
Another directed their concern towards the chicken rather than the firearm itself, expressing, “I would immediately have questions for anybody travelling with a raw chicken.”
However, despite the agent’s light-hearted delivery, the matter of illegally transporting firearms across borders remains a serious one and can often result in arrest, prosecution, or the item being seized. Although the ramifications for this particular flier is unknown, the TSA has made a point to warn future travellers of its firearm policies.
“You may transport unloaded firearms in a locked hard-sided container as checked baggage only. Declare the firearm and/or ammunition to the airline when checking your bag at the ticket counter. Locked cases that can be easily opened are not permitted.”
What are your opinions on this flier’s unique attempt to smuggle a gun through security? Let us know in the comments.
