Posted on 01/02/2003 6:47:08 AM PST by chance33_98
Despite restrictions, guns still allowed in checked bags
The Associated Press
To airline passengers concerned about whether they can still pack heat: Yes, guns and ammunition are still allowed in checked luggage but not in carry-on bags.
Questions about guns are among the most frequently asked by travelers, said a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, which oversees all aviation security issues created by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"The gun policy hasn't changed," Ed Martelle said.
As of Wednesday, all checked luggage is screened for explosives. But carrying a gun in checked luggage should not result in any type of delay or prompt unnecessary manual searches of bags, Martelle said.
"If we know what's in there, we have no reason to open it," he said.
Firearms have never been permitted inside the passenger cabin, except when carried by law enforcement officers. But passengers have always been able to transport unloaded guns in the cargo hold, and the latest round of security rules doesn't change that.
Gun owners such as Jerry Patterson, who as a state senator helped craft Texas' 1996 concealed weapons law, had wondered what to expect in the new year regarding guns.
"I frequently carry a handgun in checked baggage," said Patterson, now Texas land commissioner. "I guess we'll see."
Until Wednesday, passengers were randomly selected to have their checked bags searched for possible explosives at the ticket counter. But now, all luggage will be screened by an X-ray machine, checked mechanically for explosive residue or manually opened by a TSA employee who will search the suitcase outside the passenger's view.
If a weapon happens to leave gunpowder residue on luggage, and the bag tests positive for explosive material through trace detection, a screener would send the bag through one of the large, van-size X-ray machines, Martelle said.
If a gun can be detected by X-ray, according to government procedure, there would be no reason to open the bag.
"We don't want to open people's bags to begin with. That's an absolute means of last resort," Martelle said.
It's not clear how many firearms are transported among checked baggage.
Airlines are not obligated to keep count, even though they require passengers to fill out a form that notifies baggage handlers of the presence of a weapon.
Some airlines also ask for proof that the gun is unloaded.
A news report here in Philadelphia claimed the X-ray search of one passenger's one bag took 10 minutes, and revealed nothing. I sure hope there's a steep learning curve, and 10 minutes quickly becomes two.
Regardless, this is yet another reason to drive wherever possible. What a pain in the ***.
It takes them about 30sec to screen each bag unless they have an issue with the contents. Training and time will speed up the process for airports that just started.
Banning guns, knives etc. in CHECKED BAGGAGE would cut air travel in half overnight, the industry would not support it.
Good luck. Will you be waiting in long lines to check your baggage or stuffing everything in a carry on and hoping it doesn't get searched (as you'll never fit it all back in)?
According to the news station, it took 10 minutes to process one bag - no others were scanned in that time. I'm sure there are multiple scanners operating, though. I haven't seen the setup yet, as I avoid checking luggage at all costs.
Of course, this is all subject to a media report. I can't verify one way or the other.
A Møøse once bit my sister...
Remember, the last line of an article is one of the most important...
Does anyone remember the DFW incident shortly after 9/11? A traveler was checking a rifle, and the ticket counter clerk asked if it was unloaded. The traveler replied, "He!! yes, it's unloaded, see...?" And he confidently pulled the trigger, sending a round across the lobby, through a planter, and through the plate glass window into the parking lot outside.
Oops!
Prior to 1948 to law or administrative (fiat) regulation existed prohibiting passengers from carrying firearms on airplanes. Of course even today wealthy folks who own or lease planes can bring firerarms into the cabin.
Lost luggage insurance varies widely by desitantion. On all domestic flights, the luggage insurance is $2500USD per bag. On overseas flights, US airlines are only liable for $9.07 per pound up to a maximum $640USD per bag.
If you are re-imbursed by the airline for a lost bag on an overseas flight, that baggage insurance payout really doesn't cover the cost of replacing lost clothing and other essential items while on a business trip or vacation. Most likely, you will have to purchase new stuff in-country on your own dime, thus gaining more respect and admiration for your favorite airline.
jriemer
The airline counter clerk filled out the requisite forms which I had to place inside the ammo luggage, and the bags were tested by TSA personnel for explosive residue (duh!).
There are no new rules for taking firearms through airports.
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