You don't think they misread their list of prohibited items, do you? And when they came to - carbines ?
In Uganda, during the time of Idi Amin, a journalist had to pass through a police checkpoint each morning on his way to work. Every day he was stopped, and asked to get out of the car and take his shoes off. Every day, the police would look carefully into the shoes, before returning them to him and allowing him on his way.
Not wishing to risk offending anyone, he held his peace, until eventually curiosity got the better of him, and he asked why he had to take his shoes off.
"Orders."
"Why? What are you looking for?"
"Weapons."
"What kind of weapons?"
"Any weapons. It's the orders - here." And the officer showed him his printed orders, pinned to the wall of the checkpoint.
The relevant sentence read something like, "All vehicles are to be stopped, and boots searched for weapons."
Just in case, a translation might help:
BOOT: a compartment in a motor car for luggage, etc;
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