US Transport Police have released shocking photographs of the lethal weapons airline passengers tried to board with in the past year.
The haul of concealed contraband ranges from samurai swords, to pistols, bullets, grenades, inert land mines and live explosives.
Suspicious black powder, flare guns, 562 stun guns and a live "sting ball" riot control grenade were also stopped from being loaded onto aircraft.
Officers from the Transport Security Administration, part of the Department of Homeland Security, screened 638,705,790 passengers across the US.
Around FIVE GUNS per day were fund during checks at 205 airports and firearms were the most confiscated item, with 1,813 being seized.
In about 80 per cent of cases the guns were loaded, the TSA said.
One of the more bizarre items to be found was a bazooka from World War II in a carry on bag at Chicago O'Hare airport and a mace.
The wood and metal club was a popular weapon in Europe during the Middle Ages for being used in battle and later in South America.
Weapons were often found concealed in inconspicuous packages, like lipsticks and cigarette packets.
But one of the most obvious items confiscated was a suicide vest belonging to an explosives instructor that had been deactivated.
A couple at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport in Florida caused delays to flights when TSA officers discovered in a bag filled with clay pots.
The TSA screened more than 1,000,000 passengers than they did last year.
Earlier this year, TSA officer Gerardo I. Hernandez, 39, was killed in the line of duty at LAX airport in Los Angeles by gunman Paul Ciancia.
A spokesperson from the TSA said: "This year’s tragic incident reminds us that being on the frontline also comes with a great risk.
"We wanted to share with you examples of the continued vigilance of TSA officers in protecting our nation’s transportation systems, including some of the most unusual items TSA caught at the checkpoints this year. "
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