To Infinity and Banned: Disney Toy Confiscated by TSA
Jennifer Billock November 18, 2015
A boy had his favorite Buzz Lightyear toy confiscated at the airport because it looked too much like a gun.
Levi Zilka, a five-year-old boy from Pennsylvania, recently ran into some trouble with the Transportation Security Administration when he tried to bring a souvenir toy home from his first trip to Disneyland.
The toy in question was a Buzz Lightyear Flip Grip. Levi loved the toy and played with it in the car on the way to the airport. But once he and his dad, David, got to security, TSA agents confiscated it because it looked too much like a real gun.
“We couldn’t go on the plane yet because they said it looks too much like a gun and you can’t bring guns on the plane,” Levi told 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,” David said.
The TSA website says replicas of guns have to be in checked baggage; Levi and David only brought carry-ons. So, TSA agents took the toy and threw it away. His father believes the agents went too far.
“We understand that things are scary out there right now but taking a toy from a five-year-old doesn’t enhance national security,” David told Channel 21 News. “It was all I could do not to break down with him in that moment.”
So far, TSA has not commented on the incident, as they are waiting until they can investigate it further.
[Photo: eBay]
While the TSA is being berated here, let's not forget that people (the ones on the plane) can be very reactionary to the smallest thing. All it will take for a diversion is for some well meaning passenger to go to a flight attendant and say they feel uncomfortable about a 'weapon' another passenger has. Had a plane diverted over the toy the reaction would have been to blame the TSA for allowing an unpermitted item through security. While TSA may not be my favorite, and people often refer to them as 'stupid' let's not forget that Joe Flyer can be stupid too. And there a lot more of them.
I don't think a "real" terrorist would carry a green brightly colored weapon on board an airplane. Stupid TSA.
Anybody else notice the interesting juxtaposition of articles on the flyertalk home page. This plastic Disney toy get confiscated, yet we have a report of a loaded .380 pistol being taken on a plane accidentally without any challenge. http://www.flyertalk.com/articles/man-accidentally-carries-loaded-gun-on-flight-no-one-notices.html
TSA is just a bunch of frustrated guys who didn't make it into army or police forces. No wonder they act like fascists. At least, if they were efficient ... ...
When I was a five-year old, I tried to carry some magnetic stripe toys as carry-ons with me on an intra-China flight, and yes they got confiscated.