Originally Posted by
goaliemn
yes, but you don't have the right to assault someone.
I agree that the TSA shouldn't be looking for stuff, other than items that are dangerous to the aircraft/passengers. Drugs wouldn't qualify. However, if you try to assault them, they will call the police and, at that point, they'll arrest you and detain you. Even if you do succeed in getting the TSA agent arrested for illegally detaining you, your stuff would be checked out by the police while you're being booked, and you'll spend a fortune in legal fees getting it thrown out.
I have the right to protect myself. Stopping someone from kidnapping me is not assault, it's self-defense. No different than a private security guard seeing me walk down the street and trying to grab me because he thinks I look suspicious - I can fight back and get away and should not be prosecuted.
Yes, the legal fees would be high, but you could recover them through a lawsuit against the screener(s) who instigated the attempted kidnapping.