Spent brass in airplane carry-on

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Theohazard

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Tomorrow I'm flying back home from my grandfather's funeral. Being a WWII veteran, he had a military funeral complete with a gun salute. Several of us kept a piece of the fired blank brass as mementos.

The issue is that I didn't check any luggage, so my piece of brass will have to go in my carry-on. I can't find anything that says the TSA won't let you carry-on fired brass, but I'm still worried that it will be taken away at the security checkpoint.

Does anyone know for sure if it's OK to bring spent brass on your carry-on when flying on a domestic flight? Thanks.
 
They will probably stop the line and have a manager come take a look, but unless he's a total Dbag, you should be fine. I've made it through TSA several times with a cartridge key fob made from actual components, minus powder and primer. They stopped, took a look, and said go ahead.
 
I've had that experience. An aunt and uncle attended my father's funeral, and each had one of the expended blanks. My uncle had his in pocket and put it the tray w/ keys, etc, and the TSA said they were going to confiscate it. My uncle objected - just buried his kid brother, fought through two wars, etc. After much brouhaha an airline employee took it and mailed it to him. Punch line - all this involved the whole party going through screening several times. My aunt didn't remember that her casing was in her purse the whole time until later.

On the land side of the equation, the funeral was at Arlington. We drove home through DC. Later I found out that having expended brass (unless in a caliber for which you have a DC registered firearm) is a felony in DC. They could have locked up the whole van of us. I feel so safe.

I'd mail the casing home if I didn't have checked baggage.
 
I decided to leave the casing with my parents who are flying out later with checked luggage. I probably won't see them for a while, so I just hope they don't lose it in the meantime!

It doesn't appear to be a prohibited item and I'm flying out of IA, so I think it's unlikely that I'll have the same kind of trouble that Pintler's family had, but I don't want to risk having it confiscated unless I can figure out how to mail it at the last second.

Thanks to everyone for your input.
 
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Coming back from an IALEFI annual training conference in Mesa AR. Big cardboard box, piled hi with all manner of live cartridges? I knew why but asked anyway. "All kinds of Cops, been to a training Conference!"
"Bullets all over"
One time flying out of Toronto CA. A lump buzzed, in the seam of my Photo Vest. I managed to extract a live 9 mm round, via a hole in a side pocket. The Security guy just about had a heart attack, called the RCMP.
The one who came was a big guy! 6' 5" and big! The Security was waiting for the cuffs to come out!

"Sir, what do you do for a living?" Firearms Instructor. I said. Have a safe trip, he said. Kept the round.
I said it won't fit in your Revolver you know! Gave me a big smile "I know" Security was not happy.
If I was wearing my work boots, they often rang the explosives bell! Indoor range. Same question, same answer.
 
"It doesn't appear to be a prohibited item"

It's been a while, but I think the TSA considers spent casings to be 'ammunition'. Live ammo, inert dummies, spent brass, they just don't want to have to decide which is which, so it's all 'ammunition'. I'd wager they won't allow solid plastic training dummies. It's like taking that kid's GI Joe M-16 - that was what, 4 inches long? But it's a 'replica gun'. And if they allow replica guns, then they have to decide if some particular one is a real one or a replica. They don't like having to make decisions.

Heck, in addition to mistaking Joe Foss' Medal of Honor for a ninja throwing star, they also objected to his cartridge-on-a-keychain:

"Foss has a key chain made out of a dummy bullet, with a hole drilled through it to make it evident it is harmless..."

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/airportmedal.asp
 
I, too, would mail it. Given that it's actually a spent casing from a fired round, it could set off a dog or the hand wipes for gunpowder/explosive residue. I have very little faith that common sense would prevail at the TSA and they'd let you through without making you wish you hadn't brought it.
 
I decided to leave the casing with my parents who are flying out later with checked luggage.

Yeah, a good choice... About six years ago, I was traveling alot for work. Had a piece of .308 spent brass in an outer pocket of a duffel bag. I put it there during deer season, then promptly forgot about it. It made it through carry on inspection in six major airports - including LAX twice - before a TSA person caught it on the X-Ray machine. He wasn't too much of a jerk about it, but kept it, of course... I have no idea if he was the first one to spot it, or if others did and didn't care because they could tell it was spent.
 
Leaving with your parents was the right answer. The sad part, is you probably could have carried it - just dependent on the agent you came across.

TSA Stories - I was at security, while they ripped my briefcase apart. Everything was coming out of it. They were constantly asking if I had contraband in it. Absolutely not, I know what I can carry. The finally brought me around to look at the x ray machine. Sure enough - there were 4 dud 22 LR that I had intended to dispose of properly at the club! The good news, you could see the primer strikes, and they were in a ziplock bag marked duds. The bad news, I was at De Gaulle in Paris trying to come home. I made it through two USA security check point with them on the way to Paris. The French Security Agent merely wagged his finger at me. I think the look of shock on my face when I saw the x ray is what saved me. My punishment was putting all my stuff bag in the bag.
 
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