# Turks and Caicos Islands, luggage and bullets **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 4, 2024, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246 "2024-08-04T23:09:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/21 "2024-08-05T02:20:49Z")
TCI is a great SCUBA, snorkeling, paddling, and beach destination. We loved our time there. They, like much of the world, highly regulates ammo as part of their control of weapons. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/22 "2024-08-05T02:31:47Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > why are they checking on the way out? I actually didn’t realize it was on the way out (that makes it even stupider for the people involved, did they not realize they had bullets in the suitcase for the whole holiday?) It could be a deal the county has made with the US. I believe countries that are on the drug transit routes to the US agree to search people travelling to be US and interdict drugs there saving the US money and in theory reducing the overall amount that comes in (only by a tiny amount I’m sure but its the kind of thing officials can point at and say say “look we saved the US taxpayers money and stopped X million dollars of drugs reaching the US”) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/23 "2024-08-05T02:43:56Z")
This thread is an interesting coincidence. I was just talking to someone about luggage and TCI this afternoon and didn’t expect to see a similar thread. I was at Reagan in DC and got to chatting with the guy/couple next to me also doing the long airport wait. Their flight to Miami was canceled and they missed their cruise ship to the Island! So the cruise company told them to fly to Turks to meet with the ship in a couple days which they (the couple) were trying to arrange. But meanwhile, their luggage was redirected to get put onto a second standby flight to Miami they abruptly didn’t board since that ship had sailed. The bags probably weren’t on that flight but they were quite lost. And they were there from Baltimore so not just a quick hop home. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/24 "2024-08-05T03:01:51Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > , it wasn’t a particular news item. I just know it’s been in the news I can’t parse this. If I’m following, this story has been in the news, and you’ve seen/heard about it, but you can’t/won’t refer to a particular news article? … in your O.P. and subsequent followup posts? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/25 "2024-08-05T03:17:33Z")
If your characterization of the vague is better for the outrage machine than the particulars in any news story you can find… ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/26 "2024-08-05T04:02:41Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > My main reason for asking that, if they don’t want it(ammo, remember? Not weapons) in country why are they checking on the way out? > Seems a bit odd if safety is an issue. I don’t think I’ve ever had my luggage e-scanned when I’m going into a country. It’s always part of the screening when I’m leaving, and going through security to get my flight. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > This not about guns. Sure it is. Guns and ammo go together. For instance, in Canada, you need exactly the same permit to buy ammo as you need to buy a gun. T&C appears to take an even stricter viewpoint. I wouldn’t be surprised if the US is the only Western country that doesn’t require some sort of regulation for purchasing ammo. [Here’s a summary from a Canadian law firm](https://www.legalline.ca/legal-answers/ammunition-regulations-in-canada/#:~:text=Is%20there%20an%20age%20restriction,age%20is%2016%20years%20old.). > [@](#): > > ## **What records must be kept?** > > In Canada, there are record-keeping requirements for the sale of ammunition. When purchasing ammunition, the seller is required to record certain information such as the buyer’s name, address, and PAL (Possession and Acquisition Licence) number. The seller is also required to record details about the ammunition being sold, such as the quantity, type, and caliber. These records must be kept for a specific period of time, typically six years, and made available for inspection by law enforcement if requested. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/27 "2024-08-05T04:05:23Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > If I’m following, this story has been in the news, and you’ve seen/heard about it, but you can’t/won’t refer to a particular news article? I’ve seen stories about this issue several times over the past few months. I don’t remember a particular article, but I do remember the issue popping up. I assume it’s the same for Beck. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/28 "2024-08-05T04:11:01Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Why are people flying around with stray ammo in their luggage? How stupid do you have to be? The first person? yeah ok…mistake. It was well reported. Check your suitcase out folks. Yes, I don’t know why you would just toss a bunch of loose cartridges into your bag. But, if you did so, it would certainly be possible to lose some in there. Anecdotally, apparently young Israelis (that may well have been in the military) flying out of the country were sometimes asked by airport security if they were positive there was not possibly a stray round or two in their duffel bags, so I guess it’s not unheard of. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/29 "2024-08-05T04:54:20Z")
You got it. I’ve seen it in several places they are all a bunch of the same words and pictures. I had assumed most had seen it. \* And, who ever said so, I am not outraged. Just curious. I save my outrage for real problems. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/30 "2024-08-05T05:01:36Z")
Of course there are regulations for buying ammo in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/31 "2024-08-05T05:05:48Z")
Treated in the same way as buying a gun? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/32 "2024-08-05T05:27:08Z")
I’m not gonna get in a big gun law debate. It’s been done on the board a bunch. I was simply wondering about ammo floating around so many suitcases and people don’t realize it til they are arrested in Turks and Caicos. I’m not outraged. I’m not foaming out of my mouth. I just wanted to know why these travellers don’t check these things or why I’m just now hearing about T&C arresting folks the last months. I’ve heard it on several news sources and read it in several newspapers. And it’s not being addressed as to why or if it just started happening. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/33 "2024-08-05T05:41:33Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > And it’s not being addressed as to why or if it just started happening. I’m not certain, but it sounds like five cases have happened in recent months, [while this CNN article](https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/28/americas/ammo-arrests-turks-and-caicos/index.html) says that, according to the Turks and Caicos government, only seven Americans in total have been charged with firearms-related offenses in the past six years. However, what I also found is that the Turks and Caicos, in response to an increase in homicides, [passed a stricter law about unlicensed possession of firearms and/or ammo](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv22y2j8191o) at the end of 2022. And it’s possible that an increased scrutiny in screening bags came on the heels of that. But, it should be noted that, while the 2022 law mandates a minimum sentence of 12 years for bringing ammunition to the island, none of the Americans who have been charged under the law have actually received that kind of sentence. How I read this: yeah, they are really **really** serious about not wanting people bringing guns or ammo there, and some U.S. firearms owners are surprisingly not diligent about closely checking their bags before leaving on a trip. FWIW, it’s not uncommon at all for people boarding domestic U.S. flights to, apparently mistakenly, having forgotten to remove a gun in their carryon luggage. People are lazy, dumb, and/or negligent sometimes. (In just the first quarter of this year, [over 1,500 guns](https://abc11.com/tsa-check-carry-on-guns-airport/14647531/) – most of them loaded – were found in carryon luggage by the TSA.) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/34 "2024-08-05T05:44:09Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I’m not gonna get in a big gun law debate. It’s been done on the board a bunch. > > I was simply wondering about ammo floating around so many suitcases and people don’t realize it til they are arrested in Turks and Caicos. There’s no gun law “debate” here. That question has already been answered right here: > [@griffin1977](#): > > The US is pretty much the only place in the planet where being caught at the airport with some random bullets would be a trivial thing. Anywhere else (like literally almost any other country on the planet) that would be like saying “it’s only a few grams of heroin, what’s the big deal? There’s nothing special about the Turks and Caicos in that respect (except possibly harsher penalties than some other countries). Americans frequently get in trouble trying to bring their guns’n’ammo into Canada, too, and the same would be true going to just about any other country in the world: > **[Americans Frequently Caught Bringing Guns Across Canadian Border - Canada...](https://www.immigration.ca/americans-frequently-caught-bringing-guns-across-canadian-border/)** > > Americans frequently get caught bring their guns across the Canadian border, despite repeated warnings they are not allowed ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/35 "2024-08-05T06:18:18Z")
Agreed. To a point. I believe Americans like their guns. Like their 2nd Amendment. Like their hunting and shooting sports. And maybe Americans are stopped at lots of customs from other countries with a stray 22 caliber bullet or shotgun shell in their luggage at exiting the country. But, a big _but_ it’s not in the news. Not in the News. I, for one, never heard of it before this past year. Again, why is in the news? There must be something I’m not seeing. If it’s not T&C, What is it? I actually blame the travellers for the most part. If I traveled outside the USA I would be very careful what was in my possession. But, why now in the news? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/36 "2024-08-05T06:22:30Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I, for one, never heard of it before this past year. > > Again, why is in the news? > There must be something I’m not seeing. New, tougher law (and, quite possibly, more stringent enforcement). Tiny, nearby country that lots of American tourists like to go to. And a diplomatic stink being raised over it. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/37 "2024-08-05T06:28:23Z")
So we’re back to it being that country. Hmmm? What possible good could they gain by being assy about one bullet.(Or a couple, another thing…I assume they aren’t carrying whole boxes of ammo, unknown how many bullets). They will discourage a certain amount of tourists without full transparency. I just wanna know. Curiosity killed the cat, though. So I guess I quit caring. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/38 "2024-08-05T06:33:28Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > What possible good could they gaun by being assy about one bullet. They have instituted a zero-tolerance law, with actual teeth behind it. The nature of a zero-tolerance law is that, yeah, law enforcement and the courts _will_ get assy (intentionally so) about seemingly small violations of said law. One could hypothesize that they are dragging a few people, who have (I will presume innocently or naively) left a couple\* of bullets in their luggage, through the courts, and public hearings, to make sure that the word gets out that they are (a) looking for ammo (and guns), and (b) there are serious penalties if you get caught. \*- The CNN article I linked to above described all five recent cases, and all of them had a small number of bullets in their luggage. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/39 "2024-08-05T10:06:54Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Why did this just start? Check the links I provided. It did not just start. > [@griffin1977](#): > > In fact I just saw mentioned that it’s an UK overseas territory. With their own government. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246/40 "2024-08-05T10:52:06Z")
Your curiosity has been addressed several times now, yet you continue to seem mystified and intent on attributing this to some secret conspiracy on the part of the T&CI. It is (a) not only Turks & Caicos, and (b) did not “just start”, and (c) there’s a good reason for no-tolerance laws and stronger enforcement, namely that American guns are flooding into the region, mostly to support gang-related drug trafficking. A few more cites: > Turks and Caicos, however, are hardly the only Caribbean government lashing out at the tsunami of weapons flooding their islands. Anthony Salisbury, the special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Miami, says the entire region is overwhelmed by gun trafficking today. > > “Almost overnight, we’ve seen a massive uptick in not only the volume heading down to the Caribbean, particularly to Haiti, but in the caliber — high-caliber rifles," Salisbury said at a briefing with reporters in Miami last Friday. > > "It was [not long ago] unheard of to hear of long arms going to Turks and Caicos Islands.” > > Salisbury said there’s little doubt where most of those guns are trafficked from. > > “The choke point for weapons going into the Caribbean," he said, "is South Florida” > **[Turks and Caicos — like all of the Caribbean — cracks down on U.S. guns | WLRN](https://www.wlrn.org/americas/2024-04-29/turks-caicos-caribbean-guns-ammo-florida-us-arrests)** and > With sweeping beaches and turquoise waters, the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British territory in the Caribbean, are best known as one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the world. > > But an internal Foreign Office investigation seen by the Guardian lays bare the extent to which the islands were engulfed by extreme violence last year amid a turf war for control of drug trafficking routes. > > Local police, it concluded, had been “overwhelmed” by the carnage, as feuding gangs discharged automatic rifles in the streets. > **[Turks and Caicos engulfed by gang warfare, says Foreign Office report | Turks and Caicos Islands | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/17/turks-and-caicos-engulfed-by-gang-warfare-says-foreign-office-report)** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turks-and-caicos-islands-luggage-and-bullets/1005246.md?page=3)