Believe it or not, grenades are not allowed on airplanes in this country.
That fact was apparently discovered by someone Sunday as they tried to bring a grenade in their luggage at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.
According to information provided by Mesa police, officers assigned to the airport were alerted by TSA agents yesterday afternoon, after a "possible grenade" was found during a screening near the check-in counters.
That screening area, those check-in counters, and the surrounding areas were evacuated.
The owner of the luggage was tracked down, and that person explained that the grenade -- which was just purchased at a local antique store -- was non-functional.
We hope that's the point where something clicked in this person's head -- a realization to the effect of, gee, I guess a grenade that won't explode looks a lot like a grenade that will explode.
Mesa cops called the owner of the antique store, and confirmed what the new grenade owner said.
Still, Mesa PD's Hazardous Devices Team checked out the grenade and determined that it wasn't functional.
After an hour, everything went back to business as usual, and no flights were delayed.
We checked with the TSA blog to see how often they're finding fake grenades and lost a little faith in humanity, as a recent post explains that TSA "continues to find inert hand grenades and other weaponry on weekly basis.
That same post describes the actions of another dolt in the desert:
What Not to Say at an Airport - Statements like these not only delay the people who said them but can also inconvenience many other passengers if the checkpoint or terminal has to be evacuated:
- After being told he was not permitted to bring two cans of soda in his checked baggage, a Phoenix (PHX) passenger told the Officer that each soda can had a 30-second detonator inside of it. There were no detonators in the cans.
