No guns, vampire straws or fireworks! McGhee Tyson Airport warns of prohibited items

No vampire straws. No self-defense keychains. And please, no fireworks or guns! Before summer vacation travel picks up, the Transportation Security Administration is reminding travelers what’s allowed in flight carry-on bags and checked luggage.

Following a recent incident involving a “vampire straw” that resulted in the arrest of a passenger in Boston for carrying a dangerous weapon, the TSA on April 26 displayed and discussed prohibited items that have been collected at Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport.

“Liquids, gels and aerosols are probably our most common prohibited items,” Mark Howell, a TSA regional spokesperson told Knox News.

Pocket knives, various kinds of blades and other types of self-defense items also are frequently surrendered at McGhee Tyson, Howell noted.

“Especially here in a college town, you've got ladies that carry their pepper sprays and brass knuckles, (cat-shaped self-defense keychains), things like that. We understand you need them for self-defense, but when you're traveling, you got to remember to take those items off your keychains and out of your purse,” he said.

Although the titanium “vampire straw” from the Boston incident is commonly used for smoothies and other drinks, the company that makes it also bills it as a self-defense weapon because its beveled end could be used as a dagger.

Passengers with prohibited items are given the opportunity to place them in checked bags, give them to someone who brought them to the airport, take items back to their cars or simply surrender the property to a TSA agent.

Each passenger is allowed to carry on one quart-sized bag containing liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes. Liquids are limited to 3.4-ounce or less containers. Most travel-sized items follow this rule.

What's not allowed – ever

While some items not allowed in carry-on bags can easily be transferred to checked luggage, some are completely prohibited through the security checkpoint.

“As we get into the summer, specifically around the Fourth of July, we see people that will try to travel with fireworks, and fireworks are explosive,” Howell explained. “So don't bring fireworks to the airport.”

Explosives, chemicals and highly flammable items are not allowed in carry-on or checked luggage. These will be removed during screening.

Guns at the airport

In Tennessee, guns have been a particular concern recently. Howell said the state saw a big increase in firearms not packed properly at security checkpoints since a “constitutional carry” bill was signed by Gov. Bill Lee in 2021.

“We had a record year for guns last year. At McGhee Tyson, we had a total of 32 firearms that came to the security checkpoint,” he said.

That number is on track to be lower this year, however. There have only been three instances of firearms caught at the TSA checkpoint at McGhee Tyson so far in 2023.

Airports across the country aren't seeing that kind of decrease, though. Between Jan. 1 and March 13, 2023, security agents found an average of nearly 17 firearms per day, or 1,508 total, according to new nationwide data from the TSA. That's a 10% increase from the same time period last year.

In 2022, TSA officers detected 6,542 firearms at airport security checkpoints, a rise from 5,972 in 2021 and 4,432 in 2019, USA TODAY reports.

Upgrades at McGhee Tyson

Understanding what is and isn’t prohibited at airport security will help the process as travel increases for the summer. A technological upgrade to the McGhee Tyson security checkpoint is also intended to get passengers through the line faster.

CT machines that give a 360-degree image of carry-on bags have been added. Now, you’ll be able to keep your electronics and liquids inside the bag.

“These machines are a win-win for (TSA agents) and passengers,” Howell noted. “You don't have to take all of those items out as you used to in the bag and then, of course, on the back end, it's good for us because we have fewer bag searches.”

And a fourth TSA lane will be added at McGhee Tyson in the summer.

A full list of accepted and prohibited items through TSA can be found at tsa.gov and on the MyTSA app.

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. Twitter @dturner1208.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TSA reminds passengers what’s prohibited at McGhee Tyson Airport