The funniest travel account on Instagram is run by TSA Seriously.

This interview is based on two conversations that have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Why so many puns?

No one remembers what was on the morning news, but they will remember the joke you told them. If humor is needed to help you remember what you can and cannot do when going through security, then humor is what we will provide. Whatever the public is talking about, we want to talk about it and we want to provide the public with travel advice in the process.

Where do you get ideas for your articles?

My team does their own research, researches hashtags and follows social media. “Trolling” is a terrible word, but it really is what they do on any social media platform – LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and even apps on their own phones like WhatsApp. I’m not asking them to go to particular sites to look for anything; I give them freedom to move. They often check their personal social media accounts to see trends. Ideas are then shared within the team to see if we can do something about them. We are constantly looking for an interesting post that is trending on any platform and we also use photos that our followers share. We spend every morning collaborating to figure out what’s trending and if there’s an opportunity for an educational moment.

Where do you find the photos of guns, grenades and rocket launchers that travelers packed in their luggage?

If we stop something at the airport a photo is taken as reports have to be filed. When we hear about the incident, either from TSA spokespersons or the airports themselves, we ask for the photo. We have an extensive network and many members of the TSA social media team have been on the team for years, so we also hear about these incidents directly from TSA agents on the ground.

Do so many people really pack guns in their carry-on luggage?

You would be surprised. When we catch or detect a firearm, we contact local law enforcement, who will determine if the person has a permit to travel with the weapon, as rules vary widely from state to state. In Connecticut, nine out of 10 times you will be arrested if you bring a gun to the airport; but in Texas or Florida, if you have a permit, you may not pass through security, but more than likely, you will just be asked to give your gun to a friend or put it in your vehicle for safekeeping.

What type of messages work particularly well?

Any picture that has something you wouldn’t expect to see everyday, whatever. For example, we just published an article about the parts of a mannequin being folded and put on an airplane – who is going to see this every day? Or the guy skateboarding in the airport – literally, while he’s on the phone! – it was priceless. I feel like I should have paid the guy if I could have found him.

Do you have a favorite position?

One of my favorites is the @dudewithasign guy (7.8 million followers) holding a sign that says “Let me bring my toothpaste on a flight.” Really you can bring your own toothpaste on a flight so we replied with a post the same way he posed the question. He is in no way affiliated with the TSA, but has posted several travel-related posts that gave us the opportunity to respond with signs.