TSA experts. A question.

[Jefe's Dope]

During my trip to Costa Rica I've been pulled for "random" checks at every checkpoint. The final after entering the USA from Costa Rica through US Customs without a hitch and then being pulled by TSA and fully searched.

1. Denver- pulled for swab.

2. Costa Rica- pulled at gate and patted down and bag searched. Was on a "random" list.

3. Ft. Lauderdale- after entering US through US Customs you must reenter TSA. Flagged at TSA, pulled to separate security. Sent through metal detecter then the newer scanner. Thoroughly patted down, bag opened and EVERY article of clothing removed from compression bags and swabbed and I was also swabbed. They seemed mostly interested in my "electronics". When I questioned and stated I've likely been BGC'd more then they, he stated he "didn't know, it comes from the top".

Just trying to figure out why I've been flagged.

I have had a CCW for over 8 years including a renewal. I've done countless BGCs for firearms w/o a hitch. Currently have one approved NFA w/ two more in queue.

Just really annoyed.

I was nothing but polite during all process' as they are just doing their jobs and being rude would get me nowhere anyway.

Wife was swabbed in Denver and never bothered again. Daughter was left alone entirely. We've been together during all checkpoints except when I'm pulled.

TIA.

 

[diverdon]

Thank goodness they were not pulling your daughter.

 

[Nik H]

Luck of the Irish...

Used to happen to me a lot. I actually had one TSA agent ask me if I had a large amount of cash in my briefcase. I guess I have that kind of face. When I got my Global Entry card, it essentially stopped.

 

[THEIS]

Hi,

A few things that lead to "random" screenings..whether they apply to you or not I have no idea.

1. Paying cash for flights at the airport itself.
2. Flying under tickets purchased by an International Government or Company.
3. Multiple 1 way flights in your flight history.
4. Flying to and from a location under tickets purchased at different time and/or by different person/company/Country.
5. Have trace amounts of explosives found on your boots when departing Israel.
6. Have multiple country resident Visas.
7. Ask the Israel Customs Agent at arrivals to NOT stamp your passport but to put the sticker on the back due to your other Middle East Visas.
8. Booking your flights within 24 hours of flight departure.

Sincerely,
Theis

PS: I wouldn't sweat it too much....at least you weren't "random" at Ukraine, Turkish or Oman airport

 

[hermosabeach]

You look easy and compliant

 

[Aaros143]

So funny story. I came home on a two week leave from overseas. Traveling all the way back to Astan with just a backpack. In civilian clothes. They decide to pull me for the swab and screen. They pull my whole bag apart and swab the entire thing and then shove the swab in the machine. Machine lights up like the 4th of July. Had a real fun time explaining that one.

 

[XLR308]

As long as they aren't profiling Mohamad all is well.

 

[Acer76]

Anyone else hear Disney was hired years ago to consult and provide solutions for keeping people “happy” as they wait to be rudely inconvenienced?

 

[Redmanss]

So funny story. I came home on a two week leave from overseas. Traveling all the way back to Astan with just a backpack. In civilian clothes. They decide to pull me for the swab and screen. They pull my whole bag apart and swab the entire thing and then shove the swab in the machine. Machine lights up like the 4th of July. Had a real fun time explaining that one.

Haha, yeah, I learned from others to never use the same backpack for both bailout bag on missions as a carry-on later. I tested my bag on our own sniffer machines prior to flying with it.

THEIS gave a fairly thorough list of what gets you flagged. It has nothing to do with your firearm purchases, more than likely you share a full name with another individual under investigation / watch listed / convicted. I had an overseas contractor friend who had that case, where my friend was a retired deputy sheriff and shared a name with a known drug trafficker, and he would get pulled at customs EVERY time he came home for leave. He got in the trusted traveler program to avoid it in the future.

CBP Global Entry and TSA PreCheck is well worth the money just to avoid one wait in a long ass passport line, and it will help you avoid getting erroneously flagged in the future. PreCheck is free with a lot of credit cards and traveler loyalty programs too, worth a look at least.

 

[Jefe's Dope]

So funny story. I came home on a two week leave from overseas. Traveling all the way back to Astan with just a backpack. In civilian clothes. They decide to pull me for the swab and screen. They pull my whole bag apart and swab the entire thing and then shove the swab in the machine. Machine lights up like the 4th of July. Had a real fun time explaining that one.

My wife believes this to be the case. I had a backpack and nothing else. No checked baggage and no "carry on" as my backpack was my "personal item". We also flew there on Untied and back on Spirit. Not sure if that would be considered one way tickets.

Fortunately my Mystery Ranch Coulee 25 was basically brand new and never taken to the range. Believe you me, that was on my mind as they were swabbing it.

 

[Redmanss]

I almost always fly international with backpack only, that's unlikely to be the contributing cause in your case. Things in your bags that will get the additional check following the x-ray are a lot of electronics/cables, books (been pulled for this a few times with textbooks for in-flight studying), and food. Always pull your liquids out of the bag, and while I've always gotten away with a bit too large bottle of contact solution in the US, Heathrow took my shit for being 10ml too big even though it was half empty. I've even gotten through every time with my HOG's Tooth around my neck, but had a buddy get nailed for his in Dubai because he also had a Star of David pendent exposed so they really fucked with him.

Worst I did was have a live 9mm round hidden from me in my bag coming out of Kabul. I had to show my IDs, have them call the Afghan General I worked with to confirm I was a gun toter and a good guy, and sign a "I was naughty and I'm sorry" statement and they let me go on my way on time.

 

[Jefe's Dope]

I almost always fly international with backpack only, that's unlikely to be the contributing cause in your case. Things in your bags that will get the additional check following the x-ray are a lot of electronics/cables, books (been pulled for this a few times with textbooks for in-flight studying), and food. Always pull your liquids out of the bag, and while I've always gotten away with a bit too large bottle of contact solution in the US, Heathrow took my shit for being 10ml too big even though it was half empty. I've even gotten through every time with my HOG's Tooth around my neck, but had a buddy get nailed for his in Dubai because he also had a Star of David pendent exposed so they really fucked with him.

Worst I did was have a live 9mm round hidden from me in my bag coming out of Kabul. I had to show my IDs, have them call the Afghan General I worked with to confirm I was a gun toter and a good guy, and sign a "I was naughty and I'm sorry" statement and they let me go on my way on time.

No liquids, although I did used to wear contacts and got away with a similar bottle in Orlando, but lots of cables.

This is what my backpack looked like:

 

[shoobe01]

I have gone from the range, where I used the pack as a rest, with visible muzzle blast marks, to the airport. Swabs showed negative. It checks for explosives, so gun range residue is not the same stuff.

Now, if you carry around explosives, that's a different matter and maybe plan ahead to explain that, yes.

 

[Redmanss]

Compression bags could be the source of the additional attention, that's a rarity for them to see. Most tourists are a walking clusterfuck of clothing, accesories and trinkets, commuters with a backpack never have that much shit, and business travelers almost never fly with a backpack. Basically, it looks like you were too organized and efficient in your space management and made it look like you were toting packages in and out of Central America.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Haha, yeah, I learned from others to never use the same backpack for both bailout bag on missions as a carry-on later. I tested my bag on our own sniffer machines prior to flying with it.

THEIS gave a fairly thorough list of what gets you flagged. It has nothing to do with your firearm purchases, more than likely you share a full name with another individual under investigation / watch listed / convicted. I had an overseas contractor friend who had that case, where my friend was a retired deputy sheriff and shared a name with a known drug trafficker, and he would get pulled at customs EVERY time he came home for leave. He got in the trusted traveler program to avoid it in the future.

CBP Global Entry and TSA PreCheck is well worth the money just to avoid one wait in a long ass passport line, and it will help you avoid getting erroneously flagged in the future. PreCheck is free with a lot of credit cards and traveler loyalty programs too, worth a look at least.

I have Trusted Traveller, Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check, they all help. I travel for a living and I am constantly amazed at the number of oblivious halfwits that even have status with airlines and have at least one of the above approvals. You'd think that by having achieved status, they'd have enough experience that they'd have their act together. Don't get me started on the idiots that stop right at the bottom of escalators, or stop in doorways where 9,999 other people must pass through in the next 3 minutes.....
I go to check in at my airline's status counter. I can walk up to the counter, drop my bag and be walking away from the counter in 30 seconds or less. I do it all the time. Summertime travel is the absolute worst. I constantly see people with their families at an agent's counter, bags on the floor, open, tearing them apart, looking for their tickets, or their precious "around the neck" pillows". Jesuz, what train wrecks.......I'm always glad when it's after Labor Day. Most of the dingleberries are back to work and the kiddies are back in school. I try not to travel around the holidays in the winter.......the only time worse than Memorial Day to Labor Day.

 

[QuickNDirty]

I have gone from the range, where I used the pack as a rest, with visible muzzle blast marks, to the airport. Swabs showed negative. It checks for explosives, so gun range residue is not the same stuff.

Now, if you carry around explosives, that's a different matter and maybe plan ahead to explain that, yes.

I've done that more than a few times. One of my friends I was flying with a while ago refused to ride with me because I'd been at the range a few hours prior to boarding.

I've never really had much problem getting through security, though I have had to discreetly discard some rounds at the last minute.

@Threadcutter308 - I only fly a handful of times a year, but I've got a pretty decent process. In the worst case where they want laptops out and all your shit off (shoes, belt, etc), I can do all that with 3 buckets and without stopping. The ones that irk me are the people that hop on the walk-faster tracks and stand still and/or stand next to each other and carry on a conversation like I don't need to be on the other side of the terminal in < 5 minutes, and people crowding choke points for no good reason.

Also the drama queens that want to pretend like their big ass bag fits in carry on.

 

[Redmanss]

I have Trusted Traveller, Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check, they all help. I travel for a living and I am constantly amazed at the number of oblivious halfwits that even have status with airlines and have at least one of the above approvals. You'd think that by having achieved status, they'd have enough experience that they'd have their act together. Don't get me started on the idiots that stop right at the bottom of escalators, or stop in doorways where 9,999 other people must pass through in the next 3 minutes.....
I go to check in at my airline's status counter. I can walk up to the counter, drop my bag and be walking away from the counter in 30 seconds or less. I do it all the time. Summertime travel is the absolute worst. I constantly see people with their families at an agent's counter, bags on the floor, open, tearing them apart, looking for their tickets, or their precious "around the neck" pillows". Jesuz, what train wrecks.......I'm always glad when it's after Labor Day. Most of the dingleberries are back to work and the kiddies are back in school. I try not to travel around the holidays in the winter.......the only time worse than Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Too fucking true.

 

[Threadcutter308]

I've done that more than a few times. One of my friends I was flying with a while ago refused to ride with me because I'd been at the range a few hours prior to boarding.

I've never really had much problem getting through security, though I have had to discreetly discard some rounds at the last minute.

@Threadcutter308 - I only fly a handful of times a year, but I've got a pretty decent process. In the worst case where they want laptops out and all your shit off (shoes, belt, etc), I can do all that with 3 buckets and without stopping. The ones that irk me are the people that hop on the walk-faster tracks and stand still and/or stand next to each other and carry on a conversation like I don't need to be on the other side of the terminal in < 5 minutes, and people crowding choke points for no good reason.

Also the drama queens that want to pretend like their big ass bag fits in carry on.

Or, drama queens that are the most important people in the airport....no, wait, city.....no, wait....."Jesus, you're flying". "Just like the other 179 other people on this airplane". "Get over yourself".

What ? You probably even have issues with fine, upstanding Prius drivers that drive 52 mph in the fast lane, I bet.

 

[QuickNDirty]

What ? You probably even have issues with fine, upstanding Prius drivers that drive 52 mph in the fast lane, I bet.

I've got a problem with anybody fucking up traffic.

*Some exceptions apply, e.g., over-sized loads, poor folks towing cars with cars, and truck drivers that are lost as shit.

 

[Threadcutter308]

I've got a problem with anybody fucking up traffic.

*Some exceptions apply, e.g., over-sized loads, poor folks towing cars with cars, and truck drivers that are lost as shit.

Yeah, agree. Of the examples you list, they're usually cognizant of what's going on and are usually in the right lane. It's the oblivious and SJW's that drive in the fast lane that drive me nuts.

 

[Srikaleak]

https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/30/17629786/tsa-transportation-quiet-skies-program

Looks like you were selected to participate in the new "Quiet Skies" program. Enjoy!

 

[shoobe01]

Never. Fly. At. Christmas.

When I had the Lowe's contract I had to go every week. XMAS was on Saturday so I was there the week before, and the week after. NO ONE ELSE. I was literally the only guest in the hotel.

The travel was amazing. My favorite of many many things was the person trying to bring cupcakes as carryon. A large, open-topped, cardboard box (like 18x24x6) full of frosted cupcakes. No, wait: the box is lined in tin foil so they can't even scan it! I left the screening area, but it was getting to be an argument, and they sure didn't have the box later when I saw them waiting for the plane.

Okay, one more: Some family trying to bring like traditional drink with them so had (in security line, not checked in luggage) like 4 1-gallon glass jars of tea or something. Again, baffled why that was not allowed, and it was a LONG argument to get rid of them. The few business travelers just moved to another line when we saw that. Didn't even exchange words, just glances and slow shuffling away from them.

Never. Fly. At. Christmas.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Never. Fly. At. Christmas.

When I had the Lowe's contract I had to go every week. XMAS was on Saturday so I was there the week before, and the week after. NO ONE ELSE. I was literally the only guest in the hotel.

The travel was amazing. My favorite of many many things was the person trying to bring cupcakes as carryon. A large, open-topped, cardboard box (like 18x24x6) full of frosted cupcakes. No, wait: the box is lined in tin foil so they can't even scan it! I left the screening area, but it was getting to be an argument, and they sure didn't have the box later when I saw them waiting for the plane.

Okay, one more: Some family trying to bring like traditional drink with them so had (in security line, not checked in luggage) like 4 1-gallon glass jars of tea or something. Again, baffled why that was not allowed, and it was a LONG argument to get rid of them. The few business travelers just moved to another line when we saw that. Didn't even exchange words, just glances and slow shuffling away from them.

Never. Fly. At. Christmas.

Too funny.......yeah, I see certain ethnicities, groups, or just dilberts in general in front of me and I find myself subconsciously drifting over to a different line.......

 

[Redmanss]

I once got onto the overnight United DXB-IAD flight with a few belts and a Benadryl in me, passed out as soon as I hit the seat expecting to wake up for dinner service somewhere over Baghdad. Instead I woke up two hours later and the plane was dead silent, we were grounded for a chip light on a wing tank fuel level indicator and had to get off the plane at 0230, and all the usual UAL gate agents had already gone home. We were shuffled to a service counter with one generic desk agent, all 300+ of us from a packed full triple seven, to be rebooked to our destinations. Most of us on that flight were the typical ME contractors since we were held to the "Fly America" mandate for our USG purchased tickets, locals from that region would fly Emirates, but being Dubai there of course were a few affluent pleasure flyers as well.

The vast majority of us understood and waited patiently and silently, all but this one LV bag flaunting old bitch who would not shut the fuck up with her New Yorker accent that sounded like a raspy version of Fran Drescher but without the nice tits. She kept going on and on with "This is inhumane! They can't treat people this way!" and commenced to call the airport line to complain of the gross human rights violations because they didn't have a platoon worth of available desk agents at zero-three-hundred. I was not alone in the group looking that we wanted to beat that bitch into a slumber she would not wake from, and if the UAE had a bit nicer prisons some real human rights violations might have just happened. I didn't clear that line until after 0500 with a mile walk in front of me to Terminal 3 to catch an Emirates flight that would get me home sixteen hours later than I originally would have, and I still thanked the agent for her help getting me rebooked so well.

Funny happening as a result of that flight cancellation, I got booked through Frankfurt and O'Hare, was getting on my final flight in Chicago and ran into a Marine buddy of mine I hadn't seen or heard from in over 15 years there at my gate. It was damn good to see him and never would have had my flight gone as planned.

 

[QuickNDirty]

Funny happening as a result of that flight cancellation, I got booked through Frankfurt and O'Hare, was getting on my final flight in Chicago and ran into a Marine buddy of mine I hadn't seen or heard from in over 15 years there at my gate. It was damn good to see him and never would have had my flight gone as planned.

Awesome. I love when weird shit like that happens.

 

[Mike Casselton]

So funny story. I came home on a two week leave from overseas. Traveling all the way back to Astan with just a backpack. In civilian clothes. They decide to pull me for the swab and screen. They pull my whole bag apart and swab the entire thing and then shove the swab in the machine. Machine lights up like the 4th of July. Had a real fun time explaining that one.

I got swabbed coming home mid tour from Korea in 2000.
I was carrying my hunting backpack and that's what she wanted to swab.
I told her to swab it right on the burn marks because it would show a positive for gunpowder residue.
She asked me if I knew what would show and I told her.
She popped it into the spectrum analyzer and it hit right on the mark.
I told her the bag had been used as a shooting rest for 44 magnum revolver and that's why it had the marks.

She said thanks and have a nice day.

 

[bogeybrown]

I almost always fly international with backpack only, that's unlikely to be the contributing cause in your case. Things in your bags that will get the additional check following the x-ray are a lot of electronics/cables, books (been pulled for this a few times with textbooks for in-flight studying), and food. Always pull your liquids out of the bag, and while I've always gotten away with a bit too large bottle of contact solution in the US, Heathrow took my shit for being 10ml too big even though it was half empty. I've even gotten through every time with my HOG's Tooth around my neck, but had a buddy get nailed for his in Dubai because he also had a Star of David pendent exposed so they really fucked with him.

Worst I did was have a live 9mm round hidden from me in my bag coming out of Kabul. I had to show my IDs, have them call the Afghan General I worked with to confirm I was a gun toter and a good guy, and sign a "I was naughty and I'm sorry" statement and they let me go on my way on time.

When I was over there we had letters from our employer with the relevant DoD info explaining that we worked with explosives and may test positive, etc. There was a list of people to call and we were to cooperate fully and all that jazz. I made it a point to travel with "sterile" bags, and shipped home any of my shit that had been regularly exposed to bang.

A buddy of mine from Aus made it from Kandahar to Brisbane and found a quarter block of C4 he'd forgotten about in his bag when he was unpacking. I think I went through Dubai 16-20 times and got singled out for extra screening damn near every time leaving the country.

 

[Keel Haul]

I almost always fly international with backpack only, that's unlikely to be the contributing cause in your case.

Same here, even a two week sailing trip in the Caribbean had me in a backpack and a small gym bag with only sailing gear. My other international stops were just a backpack. My day job is for an airline and the only time I check a bag is when I’m transporting firearms.

 

[thejeep]

I've got a problem with anybody fucking up traffic.

*Some exceptions apply, e.g., over-sized loads, poor folks towing cars with cars, and truck drivers that are lost as shit.

Why the fuck cant people stay out of the left lane unless they are actively passing at WARP speed.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

When we flew to Hawaii, I lived out of a regular carry on day pack for just over a week. All my clothes were wash and wear and the changes were rinsed each evening and hung overnight over the tub. My packed clothes were essentially traveling clothes. I bought some other clothes (shorts, swimsuit, elcheapo Hawaiian shirts, etc.) there, bagged them in a small newly purchased suitcase, and that was my checked bag for the return flight only. No undue attention seems to have been attracted. I shaved with a locally bought cheapo rechargeable Norelco and left it in the room when we left. Some items are more disposable than many may think when they are likeliest to bring stress to your day.

And, umm maybe, having a trigger word, like 'Dope' in an online identity could be, say, an attractor.

Greg