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TSA Renews Warning About Banned Items Amid Recent Surge At Area Airports

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Toy guns, brass knuckles and Tasers are just a few items TSA says it has collected in the last two weeks at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Gigi Barnett reports the agency is renewing the warning to leave it at home or surrender it.

Check your bags and check again. It's a warning TSA has sent to passengers for more than a decade.

But TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein says over the past two to three weeks, the agency has collected bins full of banned items.

"In most cases there is no malicious intent, but at the same time, you don't know about the person sitting next to you, whether they see if there's a knife available, they might decide to use it," Farbstein said.

This week at BWI, a man tried to clear security with razors in his shoes. The two one-inch blades were a manufacturer error.

"We actually do see people come who intentionally try to conceal weapons," Farbstein said.

Passengers have come in with Tasers in black and pink.

Last week at a Salisbury airport, a man brought a fully loaded gun through the checkpoint.

"It's scary. I actually had a little pocketknife one time in my purse by accident and they didn't catch it," said Sue Bianco, airline passenger.

"I keep a stapler in my bookbag so I can staple my homework. I took it out of my bookbag. I don't want to get stopped. I don't want any problems," said Gary Sharp, airline passenger.

Farbstein says when in doubt, passengers should check the agency's app and check their pockets.

If passengers mistakenly bring prohibited items to the airport, they have a few options: they can take the item back to their cars, they can put the item is a checked bag, or have the item mailed to them.

TSA says it does not confiscate items. All of them were surrendered by passengers.

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