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TSA collects 12K pounds of prohibited items at Jacksonville airport

Confiscated items include bowling pin, spatula, workout weight

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – What do a bowling pin, a spatula and a workout weight have in common?

They’re all items confiscated by Transportation Security Administration agents at the Jacksonville International Airport.

In just the last year, security has collected over 12,000 pounds of items from people trying to board planes in Jacksonville.

TSA agents in Jacksonville also stopped 33 firearms at the security checkpoint last year. Officials said bringing a gun to a security checkpoint can get you an $11,000 fine and possibly arrested.

To travel by air with a gun, it must be in a locked case, unloaded and checked in to the airline along with any ammunition.

While weapons are obviously prohibited items, security said some of the forbidden items they've collected aren't necessarily sharp, but can still be dangerous.

The rules include allowing only 3 ounces or less in carry-ons for liquids, toothpastes, creams and gels.
A list of prohibited items can be found at TSA.gov.

There's also an "ask TSA" Twitter account where questions about prohibited items are answered in real time by representatives from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

Officials said travelers can go back and leave prohibited items in a vehicle or have the items mailed to them through the airline.

Most people voluntarily release items to security because they don't have time to go back to their car or figure out alternatives.

Officials said they brought attention to the confiscated items ahead of the Memorial Day weekend to help speed up security check times, because a large amount of prohibited items can bog things down.

Atlanta airport officials are also aiming to speed things along for the holiday weekend.

According to a report from WALB in Atlanta, Hartsfield-Jackson Airport officials have decided that 22 of the 28 lanes at the main security checkpoint for one of the nation's busiest airports will be “Smart Lanes” to reduce screening time.