Posted on 10/24/2023 8:52:49 AM PDT by algore
A Washington state senator was arrested at Hong Kong Airport and faces up to 14 years in jail after discovering mid-flight he had brought his gun with him on the plane.
Longview Republican Jeff Wilson was flying with his wife Trisha to the Chinese city at the start of a five-week vacation in South-East Asia when he realized his mistake.
Reaching into his hand luggage for a 'piece of gum' he discovered the firearm in there as well which had also escaped the attention of security staff when he set off from Portland in Oregon.
'It was an honest mistake, and I expect the situation to be resolved shortly,' he wrote on his website.
But he was arrested on arrival in the repressive former colony, thrown into jail and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm.
The senator, who was elected in 2020, denied reports that the weapon was discovered during a search on arrival, insisting he 'immediately went to customs officials and called their attention to the issue', at the end of the 15-hour flight.
He said the revolver was unloaded and is registered in Washington, where he holds a concealed carry license.
But he faces up to 14 years in one of Hong Kong's 'correctional facilities' and a fine of $12,800 for arriving with a firearm not registered in the Chinese territory.
Private ownership of guns is outlawed by the Chinese Communist Party in the tightly governed territory.
The city's Commissioner of Police only grants them to police officers, armed security guard services and operators of exclusive shooting range clubs.
Wilson has been a strong pro-gun advocate in his native state and sponsored a law this summer which made it easier for Washington's museums to obtain historic firearms without the need for background checks.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Idiot.
Dumbass!
Anyone that stupid deserves what they get.
“’It was an honest mistake, and I expect the situation to be resolved shortly,’ he wrote on his website.”
...in China?! Resolved?!
Why am I not surprised China would do this?!
Looks like someone’s going to get traded for some Chinese spies, a couple years down the road.
Yes, he’s an idiot. And the TSA security theater are incompetent boobs.
How can a person be so utterly stupid? I’m surprised his brain still functions enough to command his body to breathe and pump blood.
I've always said the TSA is mere security theater, designed as cover for DHS and the Deep State to destroy the Constitution.
Maybe if we had another 200K TSA agents, they would have discovered his gun in his carry-on luggage.
Portland, OR TSA...’nuf said.
And we're paying HOW MUCH for the TSA?
I’ve done a fair amount of international traveling in my day and I’ve always recognized that rights we have here aren’t universal.It was very,very foolish for this guy to do what he did.
Dude, that jumbo jet has a trashcan in the lavatory.
A mistake is forgetting to turn off the oven. 😏
Never go full Barry Switzer
First mistake was travelling to Hong Kong.
Who takes a gun to China? What a moron. Who goes on vacation to Chinaa? What a moron.
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