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Gun-Shaped High Heels Cause Delays At BWI Airport — Safety Trumps Fashion When It Comes To Airport Security

By Shaunee Flowers
Published on: 07:57 PST, Mar 2, 2016

The Transportation Security Administration does not allow passengers to carry replica guns and ammo on board any flights, and now they have to add shoes to the list, gun-shaped high heels to be exact. A passenger tried to board a flight from Baltimore-Washington International with a pair of faux machine gun high heels stashed in her carry-on, and was not allowed to board.

A woman was stopped at a security checkpoint at Baltimore-Washington International over the weekend when the above high heels were found in her carry-on luggage as she tried to board a flight. The woman was told that she could put the shoes in her checked bag, but could not carry them on board the airplane. Due to lack of time, the woman decided to ditch her machine gun high heels with TSA and board her flight without the silver shoes, according to NBC Washington.

The gun-shaped high heels in question are silver and feature fake bullets surrounding the platform of the shoe, as well as a gun-shaped stiletto heel. The women who attempted to board at BWI with the high heels was also carrying the matching, fake bullet encrusted bracelets to make a matching set. According to TSA guidelines, all guns and ammunition must be checked in order to take them aboard a flight. That also applies to toy guns and in this case, toy gun high heels.

TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein told the Associated Press,”The agency prohibits passengers from carrying ‘replica guns or ammunition’ through airport security checkpoints.” Now we know that high heel shoes shaped like guns are also not allowed on flights, It seems that would have been common sense to the individual packing her bag, especially given heightened security measures in recent years and the fact that it was BWI, the airport that services the greater Washington D.C. area.

Since acquiring the high heels, TSA in Baltimore has shared their new loot on social media. Along with a picture of both the shoes and bracelets covered in fake bullets, TSA tweeted, “Shoes and bracelets that are less than ideal to wear or bring to a @TSA checkpoint. These delayed a traveler at BWI.”

“We want to remind travelers that they should not bring replica guns or ammunition to checkpoints,” Farbstein said in an email to the Baltimore Sun. “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.”

Although they do look very real, the gun-shaped high heels are definitely not. As the New York Post noted, the 7.5 inch gun-shaped heels are made of plastic and are coated with chrome to make them look real. They also noted that the Bondgirl-701-3 Gun Heel Platform Sandals are made by Pleaser USA, an exotic footwear company. They have said that the gun-shaped high heels are one of their best sellers.

Still, it was not the best judgment to attempt to wear or carry on an item that even slightly resembles a weapon when trying to board a flight. The former owner of the high heels was never revealed and was allowed to carry on with her travel plans. As far as future run ins with the deadly looking high heels, this may have been a once in a lifetime find for airport security. The same TSA spokesperson also commented that in her nine years of working in the industry, this is the first time a pair of high heels have been confiscated by airport security.

[Photo via Transportation Security Administration]

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