Not at all, Kitty.
Transportation Security Administration officials in Albany are warning travelers about a growing demand for harmless-looking concealed weapons called “cat's eyes.”
“The way these items are seen among carry-on items is disappointing,” Bart R. Johnson, the TSA federal security director for 13 airports in upstate New York, lamented in a report. statement.
These popular self-defense tools, typically made of metal or hard plastic, resemble brass knuckles, but they're shaped like a cat's face — hence the name.
The swordsman inserts his fingers into the eye holes, and then uses his pointed ears to stab and injure attackers, creating a sort of knuckleduster-like weapon Catwoman uses against her enemies.
Like brass knuckles, the T.S.A. Cat-themed accessories are classified as a club And passengers are banned from carrying these in their luggage.
According to the release, if cat-like eyes are detected during security screening, the TSA will take travelers aside and search their bags.
“At that time, TSA officers give the traveler the option to either place the item back in his or her vehicle; hand it over to a non-traveling companion; bring it back to the airline counter and place it in a checked bag; or voluntarily surrender it to TSA for disposal,” the TSA writes.
Still, travelers often forget they have these items on them because of their cute faces — some are even modeled after dogs — and the fact that they're usually attached to key rings for easy access, USA Today reported.
“We come across such items on a daily basis and this slows down passengers who have to wait for our officers to remove the offending item, causing delays for other passengers in the queue,” Johnson said.
Cat's eyes aren't the only weapons that airport security staff are confiscating at ridiculous rates.
Last year, T.S.A. agents Record 6,737 firearms intercepted at airport checkpoints — of which 93% were loaded.
The astonishing haul is more than three times the amount of guns confiscated by authorities ten years ago.
