TSA Stops Passenger Over Purse Design

Vanessa Gibbs had no problem getting her Western-themed purse through security at Jacksonville International Airport. But, on her return trip from Norfolk, Virginia, she was told her purse was a federal offense, reports News 4 Jax.

Gibbs, 17, carries the purse, embellished with a faux-gun design, nearly every day.

Agents eventually recognized the gun was fake, but she was told to check the bag or surrender it. The ordeal caused Gibbs to miss her flight and be re-routed to Orlando.

"I carried this from Jacksonville to Norfolk, and I've carried it from Norfolk to Jacksonville," she told the station. "Never once has anyone said anything about it until now."

The TSA still upholds the position that the purse could be considered a replica weapon, which have been prohibited since 2002.

This isn't the first time the definition of replica weapon has been stretched. Last January, two tourists were stopped at Gatwick because of a toy soldier's three-inch rifle. And, back in 2009, an eight year old had his Disney plastic sword and toy gun confiscated in Ft. Lauderdale.

Comments

[dbrett480]

07:52 PM on 12/08/2011

I think they need to look up the definition of replica.

[wolflover3825]

08:58 AM on 12/07/2011

Just wondering, what caliber is her purse? Must be lipstick caliber.

[coolmaiden]

10:44 AM on 12/06/2011

We, as a nation, need to admit that we have no clue what we are doing as far as airport security goes, and start all over.

[lunadiner]

06:29 PM on 12/07/2011

Can you actually imagine our Chief Matron at Arms, dear Miss Janet, starting anything over?

"Dammit, the system worked"

[OutAtFirst]

05:06 PM on 12/05/2011

Time for a little mission training at the TSA: You are supposed to be keeping the flying public safe by recognizing and responding to credible threats to airline security. If for some reason you believe that this purse qualifies, please consider a different occupation.

[JimInHouston]

05:12 PM on 12/05/2011

Fav'ed

[Vincent Van Der Hyde]

01:43 PM on 12/05/2011

The incident illustrates three things:
First, the TSA is nuttier than grandma's fruitcake.
Second, it's arbitrary in its decisions.
Third, it apparently can't see the difference between reality and unreality.
And yet, somehow, we are supposed to rely on these people to protect us?
Question is, who is going to protect us from them?

[littlebrowngirl]

06:37 AM on 12/05/2011

The purse should have been confiscated by the fashion police.

[SukiTheCat]

10:08 AM on 12/05/2011

haha, I was just going to say something like that

[officiallyforeign]

12:22 AM on 12/05/2011

What is with the media and huffington post constantly jumping down TSAs throat over every little thing? A random girl misses her flight because of her gun-shaped purse and it's news? Look, it's obviously an inconvenience to have to deal with security when traveling... at what point are people going to realize it is also very necessary. Do we need another 9/11? I'm not saying TSA is a perfect system, but they're trying to make things safer. And by the way, if anyone has any better ideas for security on airplanes, please do stand up.

[ofatmarine]

02:11 AM on 12/05/2011

Shame on Vanessa. Doesn't she know TSA's are minimum wage, city slicker, sissy Gestapo pukes! One took by daughters brass knuckles away years ago and belittling her for carrying them. I should think if she was later raped, I can sue TSA for Obama debt money.

[JimInHouston]

08:51 AM on 12/05/2011

"at what point are people going to realize it is also very necessary."

No, STUPIDITY is not "very necessary".

"but they're trying to make things safer"

Actually, they're not. They're engaging in theater.

"And by the way, if anyone has any better ideas for security on airplanes, please do stand up. "

Asked and answered many times. Profile Islamists and allow passengers to be armed with knives and/or blunt objects. Passengers successfully fighting back have saved far more lives than TSA strip searches of grandmas.

[Vincent Van Der Hyde]

01:45 PM on 12/05/2011

The best solution
would be
for everybody to simply
fly naked.

Probably a lot more fun as well.

[liberalbug]

12:10 AM on 12/05/2011

we are the dumbest nation on the planet. common sense, gone, just so far gone.

[spongeworthy06]

10:52 AM on 12/05/2011

The ACLU fights common sense at every turn

[Vincent Van Der Hyde]

01:46 PM on 12/05/2011

The ACLU is better at protecting your civil rights than the U S govenment is.

[kmcsr55]

11:20 AM on 12/04/2011

A lot of people will look at that purse and their initial thought will be that the person has a gun. You do not need that kind of disturbance these days. There are many replica guns out there and also of other things that turn out to be harmless after being checked. Why cause problems if you do need to. The time it takes the officers at TSA to look at your joke is time taking away from seriously looking at others who may be trying to slip through.

[Libertyisthekey]

03:41 AM on 12/05/2011

I'm sure a lot of people will look at a Muslim with a head wrap and think they could be a "terriorist" and they may have a bomb! So, according to your comment any Muslim with a head wrap must remove their head wrap prior to coming to the airport or do not fly.

[Vincent Van Der Hyde]

01:47 PM on 12/05/2011

So, if I carry a purse with a leather engraving of a nuclear mushroom cloud on it, they will be justified in thinking I have an atomic bomb in the bag?

(Not that I DO carry a purse, you understand......my wife says I can't anyhow.....)

[atronetti]

09:12 AM on 12/04/2011

Of course, the shoe bomber had a bomb hidden in sneakers. If the TSA had seqrched sneakers in advance of that attempt,, there would be the same type of outrage. Maybe we should give the TSA some credit for preventing more attacks.

[Mr Anonymous]

04:39 PM on 12/04/2011

Well, the next time you miss your flight or get strip searched for some ridiculous reason you can thank them personally.

[officiallyforeign]

12:15 AM on 12/05/2011

I would thank them personally, if it meant that another 9/11 is prevented.

[StrawHat]

08:57 AM on 12/04/2011

OMG -- is common sense DEAD now?

They made her miss her flight for a design on her purse? Really?

[liberalbug]

12:11 AM on 12/05/2011

This should be a surprise but it is not. TSA = a bunch of miserable underpaid workers who revel in the power to make your life more miserable than theirs.

[Vincent Van Der Hyde]

01:50 PM on 12/05/2011

a little power is a dangerous thing.....

[pjchilds]

08:32 AM on 12/04/2011

I would hope the TSA would use stories like these for instruction as to what the limits should be.

[joycecalvert3]

07:28 AM on 12/04/2011

I'm thinking she making a moutain out of a mole hill. Probably got mouthy and was told to stand aside. If you show up late to catch a flight and one thing doesn't go as planned you will miss a flight. Same thing happened to me over shampoo We were pulled aside everything searched and missed our flight. We didn't have to pay any additional fees As a matter of fact every one was nice about the whole thing. I fly and will continue to fly knowing that I am safe on the plane. If they ease up on the rules we will get hit again.

[StrawHat]

08:58 AM on 12/04/2011

I don't think we're going to get hit by a purse design. Once they figured out that it was a design, they should have expedited her through.

Why are some Americans to happy to have TSA act like cretins? Does that make you feel safer?

Not me!!!

[joycecalvert3]

09:22 AM on 12/04/2011

As I stated I was not treated badly in any way shape or form. As a matter of fact I had them laughing about the whole thing. If a person chooses to react to a situation in a negitive manner that person will most likly be treated in a negitive manner. And yes I feel safer getting on that plane knowing that the TSA is doing the job. Maybe not that way some people would like to see it done but done none the less.

[Chris Raniere]

09:26 AM on 12/04/2011

Not all teens become rude or mouthy. Some do stand up for their rights as citizens of this country.

[joycecalvert3]

10:31 AM on 12/04/2011

And a lot get mouthy and rude

[capnamerica]

07:20 AM on 12/04/2011

Who screens the screeners everyday? TSA agents aren't highly compensated employees, and would be easy to bribe.

[TheWanderer]

03:52 PM on 12/04/2011

they are initially screened and then they come and go thru security as they please.

[capnamerica]

08:48 PM on 12/04/2011

screened at the beginning of each day, week, month, year, or when they're hired?

[mikekojima1]

05:56 AM on 12/04/2011

That is the most idiotic purse to carry on a plane. They could easily make an actual weapon look like a fake decoration.
Remember that box cutters, not real knives, were the cause of hijackings in past.
In this case the TSA was correct. A person wanting to do harm could could easily recruit someone else to carry a weapon on a plane, even the young and elderly. If you don't search everyone, you merely tell the bad guys how to get a weapon or bomb on a plane.
Although far from perfect, the TSA and the air marshals seemed to have worked over the last few years as far as preventing airplane hi-jacking. So far anyways.

[JimInHouston]

10:01 AM on 12/04/2011

The TSA should have simply made sure that it wasn't a weapon -- 60 seconds TOPS -- and moved on. Instead, they went FAR beyond reasonable bounds.

We need to defund much of the TSA and severely rein in their authority.

[mikekojima1]

07:28 AM on 12/05/2011

You are right, they probably did know very quickly. They were merely using the social and news media to get their message across, just like we are. If they didn't act outrageous, it would never have hit the media. As unfair as it is, with this instance and with kids and seniors, it does get the message across and help cut off this potential.

[TheWanderer]

03:53 PM on 12/04/2011

Box cutters ARE real knives; that is, they actually CUT things. this would be like getting pulled off a flight for having a drawing of a box cutter.

[mikekojima1]

07:18 AM on 12/05/2011

If it were a drawing, I would not have commented. Please note it is a casting, not a drawing , then look in any major handgun guide under miniature guns and please note the similarity.
Understand that the TSA is using the public media to show what they will check. Yes it is outrageous and probably unfair to that individual but it was a message to anyone attempting this kind of ruse. Of course they would know that it was a fake shortly after inspecting it however, also take into account how many unfamiliar people would be terrified if someone were to point a fake gun them at them as well, not being 100% sure it was a fake.