‘She Took My Monkey’s Gun’: Woman Complains About TSA Agent’s Strange Confiscation
Flying is always an unpleasant experience (and thanks to the FCC reconsidering cell phone use in the sky, it might get worse), but one woman got pulled aside before she even boarded the plane because of a toy gun. That belonged to a sock puppet. That a TSA agent determined was a security issue. There truly is no story quite like a story that includes the sentence “She took my monkey’s gun.’
So far, the toy gun in question has not been posted to Instagram, but Phyllis May, the woman in question, went public to complain about the rather unusual confiscation.
May makes sock monkey dolls, and one of them, “Rooster Monkburn,” (a tribute to John Wayne‘s character from True Grit) had a tiny toy pistol as part of the ensemble. Going through airport security proved to be a bit of a problem.
“She said ‘this is a gun,’” said May. “I said no, it’s not a gun it’s a prop for my monkey.”
“She said ‘If I held it up to your neck, you wouldn’t know if it was real or not,’ and I said ‘really?’” said May.
The TSA agent told May she would have to confiscate the tiny gun and was supposed to call the police.
May is breathing heavy, sarcastic sighs of relief that everyone on board the plane was kept safe because her sock monkey’s toy gun was not allowed on.
In a totally unrelated story, the TSA is supposed to be on a charm offensive this holiday season.
[h/t Gawker]
[photo via Phyllis May]
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