'Hen you believe it?' TSA shared the bizarre handgun find on social media. Photo / TSA; Twitter
'Hen you believe it?' TSA shared the bizarre handgun find on social media. Photo / TSA; Twitter
Transport security agents have declared "fowl play" after finding a weapon concealed in an uncooked chicken.
In the run up to the holidays, November is the busiest time for American airports. It's especially busy for TSA screening, which detected a handgun in an unusual luggage item on Monday, passing throughFort Lauderdale-Hollywood International.
It is one of over 700 firearms detected at Florida's airports this year. The state accounts for around a seventh of all firearms confiscated at US airports.
However, the glock in a spatchcock was a standout find.
Having been detected by airport X-ray the TSA proudly shared their find via a pun-filled social media post:
"The plot chickens as we barrel our way closer to Thanksgiving. For us, it's a time to be thankful that our officers are always working around the cluck to keep you safe."
The detection of undeclared firearms can lead to delays in travel, not only for the trigger happy traveller. Weapons seized at airports are put into the possession of local police, and both traveller and firearm will be refused travel. The minimum fine for carrying weapons through a screening is $2500 but this can climb much higher based on "aggravating factors" such as whether the weapon is loaded, it is a repeat offence or if it is intentionally concealed.
The maximum penalty is $58000 per offence, though TSA guidance says nothing about chickens.
There’s a personal fowl here. Our officers @FLLFlyer made this very raw find. We hate to break it to you but stuffing a firearm in your holiday bird for travel is just a baste of time. So, don’t wing it, you'll find all the proper packaging info here: https://t.co/Zm2XnorDx7pic.twitter.com/BpdbEwwouX
Having handed out over US$20 million in civil penalties to travellers caught carrying guns at airport checkpoints, the TSA stands to break last year's record of 5,972 guns found. That doesn't seem to dampen their spirit. In fact their popular social media channels saw the funny side of a firearm concealed in a broiler fowl.
They proudly shared their "'hen you believe it?" find on twitter: "We hate to beak it to you here, but stuffing a firearm in your holiday bird for travel is just a baste of time. This idea wasn't even half-baked; it was raw, greasy, and obviously unsupervised. The only roast happening here is this poor packing choice!"
Orlando International, the airport serving the Disney World theme park, is in first place with 129 weapons found this year while Fort Lauderdale currently holds silver. Though this cluck up means it is fast catching up.
