Makes working trips challenging as most corporate environments and a number of other places and facilities ban firearms regardless of whether you have any bullets.
I had a fun time when I was at JFK Airport and asked for the firearms paperwork. The woman behind the counter turned white as a sheet, and hit a āhiddenā buttonā¦ shortly thereafter a cop came charging up, demanding to see the firearm (hoping for a felony bust). He was extremely pissed at the counter agent when he saw that the āfirearmā was a plastic flare gun. 
It only added about 15 minutes to my trip.
Edit to add: Unlicensed pistols in NYC are a felony offense, I knew this going in and that is one of the reasons I was using a plastic orange flare āgunā as my excuse to lock my company electronics in a TSA proof case. I had arrived early because I expected a reaction from the typically anti-gun Delta folks at JFK. I had allocated an hour to troll them, but it only took about 15 minutes.
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My last bit of similar fun was realising my leatherman was still on my belt heading into the Tampa security screening area minutes before my flightā¦
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Soon after 9/11, I was in the line and realized I had a Swiss army knife in my pocket. Since the flight was close, I dropped it into the trash. Later a friend that was into sewing or knitting mentioned that she had found herself in a similar situation with some very long pointed scissors. She walked down a hall and dropped them behind a pay phone and retrieved them on return. Creativity at its finest!
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Also āstarter pistolsā of the variety we used to buy at gas stations in the 1970s and '80sā¦ Why a store clerk ever thought it was a good idea to sell a blank pistol to an 8-year old Iāll never fathomā¦
It was part of the darwinian screening process we used to use to keep children who were too stupid from becoming adultsā¦
Chemistry sets that could make explosivesā¦
Bows with sharp pointed arrowsā¦
BB gunsā¦
Firecrackersā¦
and the list goes onā¦
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BRING BACK LAWN DARTS!!
(oops, sorry I got excited)
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I know a couple of guys who used to pack a starter pistol with their audio testing gear in a locked pelican case. If anybody asks the starter pistol was for impulse testing. Also, the starter pistol was useful for impulse testing.
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I used to travel with a racing bicycle worth nearly as much as a small car. My husband keyed me to the idea of putting an old crappy firearm into the case with the bike. It requires hand-to-hand custody from the airline, and I didnāt have to buy insurance.
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Darn. Sure do miss those days.
neon transformers
suicide cords
college chemistry books that explained explosives
homemade fireworks
chemicals available at the local hobby shop
hot rods for the newly licensed
100 octane gas at the pump for <0.25/gal for the hot rod
etc
Or even better Atomic Chemistry Sets:
Forgot to mention there was one available at the Mini Mall Antique Store in Denton on the Square. Kicked myself for not getting it.
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