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Carry-on luggage is no place for a loaded gun, but that doesn’t stop people from trying. When that happens, the Transportation Security Administration confiscates the weapon. And, sometimes, they post a picture of that confiscated weapon to their Instagram account. This is a very new account, with the first post made on June 27th, but #they #seem #to #have #hashtags #figured #out. For unfiltered photos of confiscated items, the TSA Blog is also quite comprehensive, providing a nice glimpse into the kind of weapons Americans fail to take out of their backpacks before traveling.

Here’s some of the best confiscated items, and the filters used to make them look even scarier.

This <a href="http://instagram.com/p/bUeZV_F90Z/">sprightly little revolver</a> bears the Smith and Wesson logo, and it closely resembles several of the manufacturer's <a href="http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category4_750001_750051_757768_-1_757767_757751_image">small frame pistols</a>, though the barrel doesn't exactly match any of them. The Instagram filter appears to be Lo-Fi, which is great for enhancing the menace of any item.

Handgun Confiscated In Albuquerque

This sprightly little revolver bears the Smith and Wesson logo, and it closely resembles several of the manufacturer’s small frame pistols, though the barrel doesn’t exactly match any of them. The Instagram filter appears to be Lo-Fi, which is great for enhancing the menace of any item.
Filtered in "Sierra," these derringers convey an old-timey feeling for the nostalgic days of yore when gangsters and assassins preferred to finish victims off with one or two quick shots straight to the chest. Derringers are by definition small, and designed to be used at close range. John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln with <a href="http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2010630694/">this one</a>. Not really anything anyone wants on a plane with them.

Confiscated Derringers

Filtered in “Sierra,” these derringers convey an old-timey feeling for the nostalgic days of yore when gangsters and assassins preferred to finish victims off with one or two quick shots straight to the chest. Derringers are by definition small, and designed to be used at close range. John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln with this one. Not really anything anyone wants on a plane with them.
Also filtered in Lo-Fi, this knife is a silly knife. It is concealed as a gun, which is the worst thing a knife can be, because the TSA already doesn't like guns. Finding out that a gun is haha just a knife is not really a cute or clever joke that will win over people. Also, that gun handle probably makes this hard to use as a knife. This is just silly. There are better knife choices to make, hapless anonymous traveler. The TSA even includes a joke about bringing knives to a gun fight in <a href="http://instagram.com/p/bKMBH7l98D/">their post</a>! "The perfect #knife to bring to a #gunfight," the post reads, but this is a lie. It is an especially terrible knife to bring to a gunfight.

Gun Knife

Also filtered in Lo-Fi, this knife is a silly knife. It is concealed as a gun, which is the worst thing a knife can be, because the TSA already doesn’t like guns. Finding out that a gun is haha just a knife is not really a cute or clever joke that will win over people. Also, that gun handle probably makes this hard to use as a knife. This is just silly. There are better knife choices to make, hapless anonymous traveler. The TSA even includes a joke about bringing knives to a gun fight in their post! “The perfect #knife to bring to a #gunfight,” the post reads, but this is a lie. It is an especially terrible knife to bring to a gunfight.
This knife is stored flat and fits into a wallet like a credit card. I bet it is super useful to carry around and use for tasks like lunch and opening letters. It is filtered in Nashville, which is always a good filter for adding contrast to dark objects against darker surfaces.

Card Knife

This knife is stored flat and fits into a wallet like a credit card. I bet it is super useful to carry around and use for tasks like lunch and opening letters. It is filtered in Nashville, which is always a good filter for adding contrast to dark objects against darker surfaces.
Taken with a Sierra filter, this is a stun gun disguised as a carton of Marlboro reds. The hashtags used by the TSA identify it as a #tazer, which is probably a reference to the stun devices made by <a href="http://www.taser.com/">Taser International</a>. Much like "<a href="https://www.popsci.com/?image=1">derringer</a>" pistols are named after a misspelling of their inventor and proprietor Henry Deringer, maybe the TSA is coining a new generic term used for stun guns. Maybe they are inventing language! The Sierra filter here makes it look like a cigarette ad in a 1950s magazine.

Sneaky Stun Gun

Taken with a Sierra filter, this is a stun gun disguised as a carton of Marlboro reds. The hashtags used by the TSA identify it as a #tazer, which is probably a reference to the stun devices made by Taser International. Much like “derringer” pistols are named after a misspelling of their inventor and proprietor Henry Deringer, maybe the TSA is coining a new generic term used for stun guns. Maybe they are inventing language! The Sierra filter here makes it look like a cigarette ad in a 1950s magazine.
Sticking with the Lo-Fi filter, this collage of many distinct firework confiscations was the TSA's <a href="http://instagram.com/p/bEvzRkl91L/">first post</a> on Instagram. Again, Lo-Fi adds menace, to contrast with the otherwise cheery collection of small explosives. Bonus: someone had brass knuckles in with their fireworks, which means they are probably going to the most horrifying Fourth of July barbecue ever.

Firework Collage

Sticking with the Lo-Fi filter, this collage of many distinct firework confiscations was the TSA’s first post on Instagram. Again, Lo-Fi adds menace, to contrast with the otherwise cheery collection of small explosives. Bonus: someone had brass knuckles in with their fireworks, which means they are probably going to the most horrifying Fourth of July barbecue ever.