With all the rancor in the air these days, “settling disputes in a gentlemanly manner” sounds like a perfectly wonderful idea, does it not?
That is unless you’re planning on employing a shillelagh — a wooden Irish walking stick that can double as a handy club or cudgel — inside the cabin of an aircraft to make your point.
Despite their colorful history and craftsmanship, it turns out that the Transportation Security Administration frowns upon such objects in carry-ons.
Security at Boise Airport in Idaho found it last month, saying in a tweet that “it may look like a miniature golf club, but it’s not. It’s a shillelagh, a Gaelic club. … Bad idea to bring it to the checkpoint; perfect for checked baggage.”
So we had to Google what, exactly, a shillelagh is, but we know that anything that’s made with the intent to bludgeon someone else is not allowed as a carry-on item. Great job our team at @iflyBoise for finding this item last month. #ProhibitedItemsWeek https://t.co/OlCIdqzPa4
— TSA (@TSA) April 19, 2023
So there you have it from the TSA: “We know that anything that’s made with the intent to bludgeon someone else is not allowed as a carry-on item.”
It’s just one of the prohibited objects TSA is publicizing on its Twitter feed during #ProhibitedItemsWeek.
What else TSA has found in carry-ons
On Day 2 of #ProhibitedItemsWeek, TSA spotlighted something less fanciful but perhaps even more menacing: a double-edged tactical knife discovered in a carry-on at Boston Logan International Airport.
Welcome to day 2 of #ProhibitedItemsWeek! Do you know what isn’t a good move? Trying to bring a knife in your carry-on. Great job by our team at @BostonLogan for finding this knife during screening last month. https://t.co/B8HomtvxZo
— TSA (@TSA) April 18, 2023
After questioning by Massachusetts State Police, the man was allowed to continue his journey —sans his knife.
The first day of the campaign spotlighted an even more incredible item uncovered at El Paso International Airport in Texas: A firearm with 20 rounds of ammunition.
Traveling with a firearm? Do NOT try and bring it in your carry-on. Incredible job by our team at @flyelp who discovered this firearm and ammo at our security checkpoint last month. #ProhibitedItemsWeek https://t.co/GrfwqXhCEE
— TSA (@TSA) April 17, 2023
Air travelers, take note: Be sure to keep your guns and your knives and shillelaghs – and your cats for that matter – out of your carry-ons.
Click here to find out more about what’s allowed in carry-on and checked bags.