TSA Stops Lines Over Gun-Shaped Heels, Forces Woman To Forfeit Footwear
The TSA stopped a woman with gun-shaped stiletto heels, holding up lines and ultimately forcing the passenger to give-up the footwear. Airport security and shoes have had a difficult relationship for some time, but this might be a new extreme.
Transportation Security Administration Public Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein tweeted a picture of the “less than ideal” clothing items.
Shoes and bracelets that are less than ideal to wear or bring to a @TSA checkpoint. These delayed a traveler at BWI. pic.twitter.com/tZiFkwCBLf
— TSAmedia_LisaF (@TSAmedia_LisaF) February 29, 2016
According to the Baltimore Sun, the TSA stopped the woman at the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Sunday afternoon. Although the woman was not wearing them at the time, her gun-shaped shoes and bandolier bracelets (complete with fake bullets) violated the security agencies rules that prohibit “replica guns or ammunition.”
Officials told her that she’d have to remove them from her carry-on luggage. She then went to her airline’s ticket counter and tried to check the gun-shaped heels but eventually left them with the TSA to catch her flight on time.
After the incident, Farbstein sent out a follow-up email warning passengers.
“We want to remind travelers that they should not bring replica guns or ammunition to checkpoints. It will definitely slow them down, slow down their traveling companions who are waiting for them, and it will slow down the checkpoint lines for other travelers.”
The gun-shaped footwear and straps are questionable fashion choices, but for passengers who really want to slow down airport lines, the heels are called Bondgirl-701-3 Gun Heel Platform Sandals.
![The most famous incident involving airport security and shoes is the 2001 failed shoe bombing attempt. The bomber got the shoes on the plane, showing that fake gun-heels are easier to detect than real bombs. [Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]](http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/GettyImages-475634256-670x456.jpg)
Company spokeswoman Elody Romero insists that she’s never heard of the heels holding up airport lines before, then again, the passenger may have made an unwise choice.
“She brought them in her carry-on luggage. That probably wasn’t the smartest decision.”
According to NBC4, Romero echoed the TSA’s sentiments regarding checking gun-shaped heels.
“We don’t want anyone to have issues with their flights, in case people put them in their carry-on instead of checking them. You would never assume that a heel with a gun shape on it would have this kind of feedback from the TSA.”
Pleaser USA has received a number of famous endorsements. Lady Gaga reportedly sports their footwear, and so does musician Taylor Momsen, who wore the gun-shaped stilettos heels on the magazine Revolver in 2010 according to MTV News.
The company says that from now on, they will include warning messages with their lethal-looking footwear.
![The TSA has faced a number of criticisms about its tactics to keep passengers safe. One of the harshest critics came last year, when undercover investigators discovered officials only detected 5 percent of explosives passing through security. [Photo by John Moore/Getty Images]](http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/GettyImages-107076799-670x447.jpg)
That full story can be found here.
As for the gun-shaped heels and the dangerous-looking accessories, it’s not clear if the unidentified woman will ever get her footwear back, but her story, at least, will serve as a cautionary tale.
[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
