TSA agents discovered a disassembled .40 caliber gun hidden inside three stuffed animals in a Rhode Island airport, according to a report from USA Today.

A 4-year-old boy traveling to Detroit with his father had the stuffed animals in his carry-on bag, which set off alarms when passing through an X-ray machine at the security checkpoint at T.F. Green International Airport.

"The TSA says (a) .40 caliber gun was artfully concealed in different pieces in the three animals. The main frame was inside a bear. A magazine loaded with two .40 caliber rounds was inside a bunny, and a firing pin was inside Mickey Mouse," WHDH-TV of Boston reports on its website.

The pieces were seized, and the unidentified father was interviewed. He claimed he had no idea how the gun made it into his son's stuffed animals, USA Today reports.

Despite the incident, both father and son were allowed to continue on their flight. 

A police spokesperson said that authorities "believe this was related to an ongoing domestic dispute" in which the man's wife was attempting to cause problems for her husband. Police say they are continuing to investigate. 

The TSA is citing the incident as a reason why they must include children in airport screening, although the screening process has recently been modified for children under the age of 12.