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LEESBURG, Virginia. – A booby-trapped political campaign sign in Virginia has raised concerns among residents and prompted a response from the Loudoun County bomb squad.

The sign, depicting a caricature of Vice President Kamala Harris, sits on private property and is now surrounded by freshly placed “no trespassing” signs.

The trap consists of shotgun shells filled with what appears to be gunpowder.

The situation came to light after a resident called authorities Saturday morning, prompting a sheriff’s office deputy and members of the Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office to investigate. A bomb assessment team was also dispatched to assess the situation.

According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, vandalism of political signs on private property is not new and owners have made efforts to protect their signs in the past. After examining the device, investigators determined it was an audible warning device, not an explosive, and was not illegal.

The owner told authorities that signs on the property had already been vandalized. The sheriff’s office recommended putting up “no trespassing” signs as a precaution, which the owner did.

In addition to the sign, another resident told FOX 5 about a camera attached to a nearby tree, powered by a solar panel at its base.

Charles King, a Leesburg resident, said he was concerned about the security implications of this setup.

“I found the sign, I found a camera to take pictures of the people near the sign, and a device in the woods that appeared to me to be an improvised explosive device,” King told FOX 5. “It looked homemade, made out of a shotgun, shells and what appeared to be gunpowder.”

King expressed particular concern for children, particularly as Halloween approaches, citing the potential dangers associated with gunpowder.

The sheriff’s office stressed that no laws were violated in this case and that the device was legally installed on private property to deter trespassers.