NEW ORLEANS — If you are traveling through Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, please leave your swords at home. (Or at the very least put it in your checked bags)
That's the message the Transportation Security Administration wants to send Tuesday at its annual look at prohibited items confiscated at airport checkpoints.
The federal agency says thousands of pounds of banned items like stun guns, switchblades and martial arts tools are stopped by TSA officers across Louisiana each year. Just some of those "You brought what to the checkpoint?" items were on display Tuesday.
The TSA says 59 guns were stopped by officers at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in 2018. Bringing a gun through a federal checkpoint can bring up to $13,000 in fines and possible arrest.
And if you just can't leave your sword behind, the TSA's website says cutting or thrusting weapons, including fencing foils, can be put in checked baggage as long as its securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers.
For more information about what items you can bring on an airplane, click here to visit the TSA's website.
The TSA is also reminding flyers to declare larger liquids and consider signing up for the TSA Precheck program to make summer travel through the airport as easy as possible.