A man was cited last week in New York for carrying live ammunition that was carefully packed into a diaper, the Transportation Security Administration announced.
According to a news release from the agency, TSA agents at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport found the ammunition-filled diaper after it set off an alarm.
The discovery of more than a dozen concealed 9mm rounds was described by the TSA as a “new definition” of a “dirty diaper.”
.@TSA officers removed 17 bullets that were artfully concealed inside this otherwise clean disposable diaper in a carry-on bag today at @LGAairport. Arkansas man needs a new bulletproof plan for packing his bag before heading to the airport for his next flight. pic.twitter.com/S41XPRydjA
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) December 20, 2023
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The agency announced, “Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at LaGuardia Airport removed a diaper from a man’s carry-on bag this morning (Dec. 20) when it triggered an alarm in the security checkpoint X-ray unit.
“Inside the diaper, TSA officers unwrapped 17 bullets that had been artfully concealed inside the otherwise clean disposable baby diaper.”
When questioned about how and why the ammunition ended up in his bag, the unnamed man said he did not know and cited his girlfriend as a potential culprit.
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“The man, a resident of Arkansas, first told officials that he did not know how the bullet-filled diaper came to be in his carry-on bag,” the TSA said.
The agency added, “Then he said that his girlfriend must have put it in his bag.”
New York’s Port Authority Police were called by TSA agents.
Police cited the man with unlawful possession of ammunition.
In a rare moment of levity for the TSA, the agency joked in its news release, “Apparently this guy needs a bullet-proof plan for packing his carry-on bag before heading to the airport for his next flight.”
According to travel guidelines, ammunition is legal to transport by air as long as certain rules are followed.
The TSA said ammunition, such as that found in the man’s diaper, “is prohibited in carry-on baggage, but may be transported in checked baggage.”
The agency further noted, “Firearm magazines and ammunition clips, whether loaded or empty, must be securely boxed or included within a hard-sided case containing an unloaded firearm …”
“Small arms ammunition (up to .75 caliber and shotgun shells of any gauge) must be packaged in a fiber (such as cardboard), wood, plastic, or metal box specifically designed to carry ammunition and declared to your airline.”
TSA guidelines do not specifically mention ammunition in relation to diapers.
