So it was just another Monday morning. Brian dropped me off at the airport I checked my token one bag, went upstair to security. As I stood waiting for my turn I started taking off my belt, getting my bags ready, taking off my shoes, give the guy my ID and my boarding pass. Go put all my things in the right buckets... laptop in its own bucket, shoes/coat/belt in one, camera bag, lap top bag everything going smoothly.
I go through the metal detector thing just fine, go to wait for my stuff. They always have to scan my camera bag at least twice, because you know how dangerous cameras are... but this time it's not twice it's three times...
"It's camera equipment"
"It's not that bag, it's the one after it" Yell "Supervisor"
"Ma'm is this your bag?"
"Yes"
"Do you own a firearm?"
(In my head... umm yes I do in fact. I bought one for Brian a few years ago so it's in my name, but no I don't carry it, use it, or bring it with me places)
"Uh my husband does"
"We have to take possession of this bag, Grab your things and follow me. (into their little shoulder walkies) "We have a code blah blah blah" (My heart is racing, am I getting arrested? will I make my flight?) "We need blah blah blah to come to the security screening booth"
Meanwhile-
"Can I get my phone out of that bag or can you hand it to me so that I can call my husband to turn around?"... "Brian turn around NOW" "Can I call you back?" "What? NO" click "Sorry what did you need?" "I need you to turn around, one of your handguns is in my bag" "No, it's not, both of my handguns are in the safe." "are you positive- they are saying I have a firearm in my laptop bag?" "It's probably just one of Ty's guns. Call me when you know more" "fine bye"
"Ma'm can I have your ID and boarding pass" takes them puts them on this board thing and starts taking pictures of my ID and boarding pass....
"Can you at least look in my bag to see if it's my son's toy gun so my heart can stop pounding?"
"No, we have to wait for the Deputy Sheriff to arrive"
Twenty minutes later strolling up the walkway..
"So you're trying to bring a gun on the plane"
"Apparently"
"You ever been in trouble" (now you might ask why this is funny to me- I'm wearing jeans, t-shirt, sneakers, and pig- tails, how much more troublesome can I really look?)
"Well I got kicked out of class for talking once"
"That's it? No warrants, probation?"
"No, although I did kill my husband and I'm fleeing the country to UT...NO"
They go through ALL my pockets, "got a lot of food there don't you..." (yeah airport food is expensive!!!) Finally in the last smallest pocket- they pull out T's metal cap gun that Brian's Dad had given him from when he was a child.
"False alarm, but we still have to check everything out" (They call in and make sure I have a clean record, take more pictures of my ID, boarding pass, and now the "Gun")
So, by the time everything was finished I had 5 mins until my plane boarded and 20-30 before it took off. I didn't have enough time to check my lap top bag and keep the toy and go back through security again, it was too big to mail, and they wouldn't hold it until Friday for me.... They had to "dispose" of it, probably for sale on ebay now. Plus, I am sure the sheriff got a kick out of it all, and I am on the "watch" list now.....
You've all been warned.... I'm a toy terrorist