Posted on 02/20/2015 10:37:36 AM PST by marktwain
As the graphic from TSA shows, they interdicted over 2,200 firearms, mostly loaded, from travelers' carry-on bags, holsters, pockets and a few other places and items last year. No doubt most of the interdicted firearms were those inadvertently brought into the security checkpoint by someone who otherwise could legally carry the firearm. The top ten airports are all in places with lots of permit holders. Three in Texas, three in Florida, one each in Arizona, Georgia, Tennessee, and Colorado. The Crime Prevention Research Center shows that there were 11.1 million concealed carry permits in the United States in July of 2014. As the number of permits is growing rapidly, we can reasonably assume an average of 11 million permits for the year. There are about 310 million people in the United States, so 3.5 percent of the population has a permit. TSA says that they check 1.8 million people a day, and that they found an average of six firearms a day. That is one improperly stowed firearm for every 300,000 people. Of those 300,000 people about 10,500 have concealed carry permits. That does not count the five constitutional carry states where no permit is required to legally carry a concealed weapon.
You see where this leads. About 1 out of every 10,000 concealed carry permit holders forgets that they had a firearm with them when they hit the security checkpoint. I know that you are conscientious. I know that I am conscientious... but are you conscientious 10,000 times in a row? Are you sure that after you checked the backpack that you were taking as a carry on, and that someone did not slip a pistol back into it afterward? It happened to me once with someone who was helping me pack up after teaching a concealed carry class. Have you ever used your carry-on as a range bag? Maybe you intended to leave your gear in a lockbox in the vehicle, but at the last minute, under considerable stress to make the flight, somebody asked for your help, or someone near and dear distracted you at a critical moment. It happens. At least 2,000 times a year.
Wait... as they said on the old TV commercials.. there's more! According to
people who are commenting on the TSA blog, the TSA's own tests says that they only find about 3 out of 10 forbidden items. From tsa.gov comments:
Anonymous said...It happened to me. Unlike many on the Internet, I know that I am not perfect. On a business trip to Denver, a number of years ago, I discovered, to my surprise, a full box of 50 .22 cartridges in my carry-on, after we were airborne. The cartridges stayed in Denver. Then, it was an annoyance. Today, with .22 more difficult to procure, a tragedy.
"How do you know what the guns, grenades etc that was caught was not intended to be an act of terrorism?"
TSA has a failure rate of ~70%. That means considerably more flew than were caught. Ergo, if anyone were targeting commercial aviation, then an act of terrorism would have occurred by now. The fact that one hasn't proves the point.
I forgot that I had my gun at the airport the other day. Then I remembered, I wasn’t at the airport...
I’m sure many forgot. I wonder how many were set up? An angry spouse packed your carry on for you?
Every once in a while the captain would collect the bolt, but otherwise everyone was armed but not dangerous.
Won’t happen to me. I refuse to fly until the TSA goes away.
“I’m sure many forgot. I wonder how many were set up? An angry spouse packed your carry on for you?”
Or maybe a girlfriend...
I do a lot of shooting, and have to sometimes pick up our children from school. I once discovered after the fact that I’d left an AR15 in the back of my SUV while picking them up.
No one was hurt or killed, but they would have put me under the jail if some busy body would have happened to walk by and look through the rear glass. My life would have essentially been over, due to a harmless/innocent mistake. Not to mention, I would have lost my gun to the police, and could never again buy another. I would have also been rendered unemployable for the rest of my life.
All over a harmless oversight....
Yeah, me too. I no longer where I cannot carry. With exceptions of course- had to leave the pistol in the truck when I had my colonoscopy....although my Doc was not concerned when I had it concealed for the check up prior and after.
I also leave my pistol at the local gun shop when I enter the nearby military installation for groceries, but I do feel nekkid.
Yeah, me too. I no longer go where I cannot carry. With exceptions of course- had to leave the pistol in the truck when I had my colonoscopy....although my Doc was not concerned when I had it concealed for the check up prior and after.
I also leave my pistol at the local gun shop when I enter the nearby military installation for groceries, but I do feel nekkid.
There was that case where the girlfriend set up the boyfriend’s son with a gun in his backpack...
http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2014/11/woman-planted-pistol-in-childs-backpack.html
Its not illegal to have a firearm at the airport. Its only illegal to have one past the secure areas at the airport.
For us little people. Highly trained donut munchers are an exception.
Innocent, non-violent people are being arrested. This allows tsa to boast about the arrest numbers and claim they are keeping us safe.
Mid- to late 60’s my brother and I traveled by air as unaccompanied minors with our .22 rifles and ammo as carry-on. Headed to Grandpa’s farm to shoot groundhogs.
I remember when every pickup in the High School parking lot had a rifle rack, and most of them were full.
(pre-Columbine). No biggie then, (as winter closes in, there isn't much daylight after school for hunting, and it saved them a trip to the house).
“...had to leave the pistol in the truck when I had my colonoscopy....although my Doc was not concerned when I had it concealed for the check up prior and after....”
My proctologist recommends very small guns, and not to conceal them too deeply.
You must be some kind of whacko. You have an Assault Rifle 15, and an SUV. :-)
Was a different country then wasn’t it?
And a better one too.
I had to get a guy’s security clearance reinstated after he forgot his revolver was in his backpack at the San Antonio airport. Fortunately, the guy was quite literally an Eagle scout, and the son and father of an Eagle scout, with an otherwise impeccable record. Of course, he’s going to have to remember to list the arrest every time he completes his e-QIP for clearance renewal for the rest of his life...
/s
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