When 5-year-old Levi Zilka went through security at Ft. Lauderdale International Airport with his new Disney World souvenir in tow, he sure didn’t expect TSA to confiscate and throw out his toy.
Local news station KEYE-TV reported that the Zilkas were on their way home from a Florida vacation, during which 5-year-old Levi visited Disney World for the first time and received a Buzz Lightyear souvenir -- a claw grabber called the the Buzz Lightyear Flip Grip.
TSA agents thought the bright green-and-purple toy looked like a real weapon, and the agency prohibits "realistic" replicas of firearms in carry-on luggage.
"We couldn't go on the plane yet because they said [the toy] looks too much like a gun and you can't bring guns on the plane," Levi told local news station WWMT.
"Once he realized what was happening, that they weren't giving his toy back, he immediately starts bawling, just tears streaming down his face, crying," said Levi’s father, David Zilka to CBS. "We understand that things are scary out there right now. But taking a toy from a 5-year-old doesn't enhance national security. It was all I could do not to break down with him in that moment."
The TSA released the following statement to The Huffington Post:
TSA officers are charged with protecting passengers and making final judgments on which items are permitted on aircraft. In our review of this situation, the officer’s decision complied with approved procedures. We recently reinforced that training on the procedures with every front line TSA officer. TSA officers have the discretion to deny passage of an item if they cannot definitively rule out that the item could be used as a weapon, or perceived to be a weapon, including replica weapons.
Agents did offer the family the opportunity to place the toy in a checked bag, but the Zilkas were only traveling with carry-on luggage.