Fear not, holiday travelers. The TSA is working hard to protect you from terrorists like 17-year-old Vanessa Gibbs, who tried to smuggle a two-inch elf's pistol purse with a pistol design aboard a plane in Norfolk, Virginia.
Gibbs was heading home to Jacksonville, Florida after a holiday visit in Norfolk when TSA officials stopped her at the airport security gate. They deemed her purse a security risk, and, only after determining the design was not a real gun ('cause hollow ones are often the most lethal), they told her to check it or hand it over. The inspection took so long that Gibbs missed her flight; she was eventually redirected to Orlando.
The TSA is sticking to its guns (ba-dum-tss) and insisting the purse could be classified as a "replica weapon." Replica weapons have been banned by the group since 2002. While I don't have a pamphlet on replica weapon specifications in front of me, I'd assume Gibbs' purse is joining the likes of bubble guns and Clue board game pieces.
In light of recent events, let's all take a minute to salute the brave patriots in the Transportation Security Administration. Between its apprehension of Gibbs and its thwarting of potential snow globe bombers, that team's really outdoing itself.
