Airport Confiscates Boy's Disney Toys

[The Straight Story]

Airport Confiscates Boy's Disney Toys
Cousin Says TSA Agents Went Too Far


ORLANDO, Fla. -- His step-father just died, so to cheer him up an 8-year-old North Carolina boy's family took him to Disney for the first time ever. But what happened on the way back home soured the trip, and has his family irate.

The boy bought toys while at Disney including a Pirates of the Caribbean sword, a light saber and a wooden gun.

The boy was headed home from his cousin's house in Ft. Lauderdale when a pair of Transportation Safety Administration agents confiscated his toys because replica weapons are against the rules.

In a statement, the TSA said, "Passengers who bring a prohibited item such as a replica weapon to the checkpoint have a number of options, including putting the item in their checked baggage, returning it to their vehicle or mailing it to themselves. There are mail stations at each of the checkpoints at Fort Lauderdale."

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/20212826/detail.html

[onehandle]

1. They make not make the most sense, but rules are rules.

Unlikely these restrictions will change anytime soon. If ever.

[Blaze Diem]

2. Intended to keep Dick Cheney safer..

What a bunch of hooey

[Dr_Willie_Feelgood]

24. What are kids doing with violent toys anyhow?

I'm suprised the TSA stopped them. After all, we need to keep training the cannon fodder!

[brendan120678]

11. Is a plastic sword with Disney...

characters on it a "replica?"

[liberal N proud]

3. It sounds stupid but where do they draw the line?

Plastic swords that don't look real vs ones that do, plastic guns that don't look so real vs ones that do.

I have to side with TSA on this.


The toys should have been packed in checked luggage or mailed.

[asjr]

4. Disney needs to put up a sign that

says If you are going to fly do not carry these toys on board.

[dflprincess]

17. Except it probably depends on a)which low paid TSA employee is on duty

the day you go through security
b) what kind of a day they're having and
c) how powerless are they feeling that they need to use what little authority they have to take a child's toys away from him.

[Tesha]

5. Normally, I'm against "security theatre" and ridiculous confiscations, but...

...I gotta tell ya, I gave the grandboys the Pirates
of the Caribbean sword *AND* gun, and I'll bet
there were several hundred passengers on that
plane who were happy not to have to listen to
those electronic sound effects for hundreds or
thousands of miles!

CLANG, CRASH, POW, BANG!

;)

Tesha

[imdjh]

6. I have no desire to fly. I really don't.

Ever since all this began, I simply have no desire to subject myself to this level of security. I realize that many people have to fly, some like to fly, and most would probably say that it's not that big a deal. Glad you like it.

I like my car. I decide where to go and when to go. I decide when to stop, when to eat, and when to shop.

I have also done the math and it makes sense to me. It's 17 hours between here and my brother's house by car. I take two days to do that because I like taking two days to do that. If I were to fly, it would essentially take one day in that one whole day would be pretty much shot in driving to the airport, checking in, waiting for the flight, waiting on the runway, air time, lay over, air time, landing, waiting, waiting for luggage, dealing with being picked up or transportation, and driving to his house.

I do not like listening to other people chatter. I live in a great deal of silence most of the time. I can't even stand to listen to radio DJ's on public radio, and sure as hell can't stand commercial radio dj's. I don't like being jammed up with other people. I don't like being at the mercy of people whose service industry establishment I can't get up and walk out of.

I guess I am a peasant.

[mnhtnbb]

8. I used to love travel. Now, flying is an ordeal. I'm not fond of long car trips, either.

In September I'm going to my 40th high school reunion in southern California. Although we're flying from the east coast, once there, we are taking the train from Solana Beach to Los Angeles, and the train again
from L.A. to San Luis Obispo. We will fly home from SLO. In November I'm taking the train to DC to meet a friend from France.

I sure wish we had high speed trains like other countries.

[lpbk2713]

7. They were on their 'return' flight.

Seems like they would have gotten familiar with the rules on their previous flight.

[brendan120678]

12. I don't think they had the toys on the flight there. (nt)

[lpbk2713]

15. Point is ...

... they had the opportunity to familiarize themselves in advance with what is allowed to be carried on board and what is not.

[KDFW]

22. Which is precisely what terrorists do.

:evilgrin:

[Lance_Boyle]

9. family needs to STFU and quit whining

They could have packed the toys in checked baggage OR mailed the toys to themselves AFTER they were told the toys could not be taken onboard as carryon. They apparently chose not to do either of those things. Sucks to be as stupid and whiny as them.

[brendan120678]

13. In another article on this story that I read...

it said that TSA confiscated the items at the security point, and did not give them the option of mailing them or putting them in their checked baggage.

[ecstatic]

10. Common sense failed on both sides

The toys obviously should have been in checked luggage; but the TSA once again is focused on the wrong thing. I don't feel one bit safer!

[Kansas Wyatt]

14. I agree

They should have immediately gave them other options, rather than confiscating prohibited items. After all, it's not hard to figure out that they were toys, and that it just might upset a kid.

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. TSA=Thousands Standing Around.

:evilgrin:

[orleans]

25. lol. n/t

[dembotoz]

18. if the worker bee at checkin would have been alert

the whole thing could have been avoided

"Ah sir, that child will never get those toys thru security- do you want to put them in your luggage?"

[Lorien]

19. A plastic light saber is a replica of WHAT real weapon, now?

would it kill TSA to employ just a shred of common sense once in a while?

[Morning Dew]

20. wish I could rec your post.

[KDFW]

21. Of a glass light saber, obviously.

...

[Hippo_Tron]

23. Of a real lightsaber, of course