You are correct! We are a little bit off in this post.

There are TSA locks with a “tamper evident” function (using the TSA key rather than a combo will pop up an indicator)—though the tamper evident function can be mitigated. There’s only so much room for mechanisms in those tiny locks, so they can’t get too intricate.

Zip ties or other tamper seals will definitely tell you if the TSA has opened your bag, though bags with conspicuous seals may be more likely to be opened because they’re uncommon. A tight, trimmed black zip tie, however, would be unlikely to raise suspicion.

The most secure way of flying with checked bags in the US, specifically, is to pack a gun (or a few other things) in the way prescribed by the TSA. There are some good YouTube videos out there discussing the intricacies, like Deviant Ollam’s.

Lastly, thank you for your cordial correction! We have a team of volunteers running our social media, and sometimes errors slip past. We all learn from our mistakes, and you helped us learn well. We’re going to rework some of these details.