Guns at O'Hare are disappearing firearms being stolen from checked bags

The Chicago Tribune ^ | August | David Heinzmann and Josh Noel

[LurkedLongEnough]

Several handguns have been stolen from bags checked by police officers, military personnel and others on United Airlines flights departing O'Hare International Airport, sparking concern that the weapons are loose in what is supposed to be a secure part of the airport.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been "a handful" of firearm thefts from luggage being handled by United personnel, Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said. Bags containing guns also have disappeared, authorities said.

News of an investigation surfaced days after new security restrictions were placed on airports across the nation in the wake of British authorities foiling what they said was a plot to blow up U.S.-bound airplanes.

Aviation security experts said stealing from checked luggage long has been a problem at many airports and that guns are a favored target because they are easy to smuggle out and easy to sell.

Still another concern is that putting something into a bag could be just as easy as taking an item out, experts said.

"It's a problem at every airline and every airport," said aviation security consultant Douglas Laird.

[LurkedLongEnough]

This reads like a backlash hit piece on the 2nd Amendment.

[Blueflag]

Since the bags MUST have a big bold tag on the outside declaring the firearm, it makes em easy to steal.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I ought to join the TSA. The selection of weapons might be limited, but you can't beat the price.

[vpintheak]

O'hare is the #1 stolen baggage Airport in the US.

[Xenalyte]

Yeah, guns running around "loose" in the airport is a real problem.

What if they meet up with a gang of marauding SUVs? Would mayhem ensue?

[AbeKrieger]

What's really happening here is the low-budget animals working in baggage handling are swiping them and getting them to the highest bidder. Whether its terrorists or common street thugs, it matters not, someone will end up dead.

Are there no surveillance cameras?

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Since the bags MUST have a big bold tag on the outside declaring the firearm, it makes em easy to steal.***

The FEDS made the Railway Express do the same thing before the 1968 Gun Control Act became law. Many guns so tagged never made it to their buyers. This was when you could order through the mails and receive by train.

[Frank_2001]

The only solution is to ban bipods. Without legs for support, the guns can't run around loose;))

[yobid]

The last time I flew with my guns, they had to be declared and locked in a FAA approved hard case made specifically for carrying firearms. Very easy to spot one.

[RobRoy]

My wife works for an airline at an airport. One of the desk managers was walking through the “below decks” areas a few months ago and found three TSA agents going through a large suitcase, clothing strewn everywhere. This was in a “dark corner” and nowhere near the area they check bags.

They at first were stunned when they saw her, and then went into “move along citizen, nothing to see here” mode.

We NEVER, EVER put anything of value in checked luggage, and try to avoid checking luggage in the first place.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Since the bags MUST have a big bold tag on the outside declaring the firearm, it makes em easy to steal.

Nope, they can't require a tag on the outside of your bag. It is to be put inside the locked container the firearm in in. And TSA drops a pamphlet inside you baggage showing that they opened it up, but I watch it all and if my zip ties are cut later then there is going to be problem.

[Argus]

The cops and soldiers should be required to carry their guns on the plane, loaded and ready for bear.

[hometoroost]

Here's a thought - hire independent screeners and check the airport employees and their belongings as they go in and out of the airport. Limit the size of bags they bring in and out. If they don't already drug test and background check throw that in for good measure.

[The KG9 Kid]

Until airports stop hiring from the lowest dregs of society to be baggage handlers, the problem will not be curtailed.

It is also not a requirement that a label is placed on the outside of checked baggage containing a firearm. In fact, it's a requirement that the metallic ink imprinted card reading 'FIREARM' is to be secured inside the locked container with the disassembled firearm. The rule that the tag used to go on the outside was changed some time ago.

I have flown with all sorts of firearms in checked baggage plenty of times without a problem, even post-9/11. I do get a lot of interesting looks and occasional comments from fellow passengers however, depending on what I am travelling with. The airline flight counter personnel have never been any trouble to me.

I recommend to anyone travelling via air with firearms that they acquire a vault-like case and secure it with a massive lock:

[NautiNurse]

Solution: Screen airport workers with pax baggage access when they leave their shift.

[LibWhacker]

Airports are big shopping malls for thieves. These guns were taken by airline employees but I used to work for a big airfreight company where the amount of theft was pretty disgraceful. You never knew who was doing it (although truck drivers coming to work in high-end Porches gave you some idea), but everyone knew it was going on. One night a small box with a million dollars in computer chips disappeared. Everything was fair game. Automotive stuff. Racing stuff. They used to bust open the big chests major league baseball umps shipped from venue to venue and steal all the baseballs and baseball memorabilia.

[rocksblues]

Aviation security experts said stealing from checked luggage long has been a problem at many airports and that guns are a favored target because they are easy to smuggle out and easy to sell.

Why in the world are airline employees exempt from rigorous screening entering or leaving? Inquiring mind wants to know.

[libstripper]

I check my bags but don't put anything really valuable in them. My guns go in my car with me or not at all.

[KarlInOhio]

Is there anyway to lock it to your luggage with a 100 dB alarm if the lock is cut? Maybe even some type of dye pack too, so the crooked baggage gorilla could be sprayed with ink too.

[jonascord]

"Nobody has ever really resolved a real way around it," Laird said. "There's a real dilemma with baggage theft in the airline industry."

I'd bet a short drop and a sharp stop, in front of the United Terminal, followed by tarring the thief's body, and letting it swing in the breeze for a few months would go a long way toward cutting back on the problem...