Man Boards Flight with Shotgun Shells

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CBS News

A passenger inadvertently carried shotgun shells onto a Dallas-bound Midwest Airlines plane at Milwaukee's airport on Monday before he realized his mistake and alerted flight attendants, authorities said.

The man, who was not identified, did not mean any harm, saying he had forgotten that the ammunition was in his carryon bags when he boarded the flight, Transportation Security Administration spokesman Jim Fotenos said.

TSA agents turned the ammunition over to local police and sent the man back for another security search. They then allowed him to reboard and the plane left for Dallas later Monday.

"The passenger was interviewed and rescreened with negative findings," Fotenos said in a statement. "The passenger stated that he inadvertently brought the prohibited items onboard the plane and self-disclosed them when he realized they were in his possession."

Fotenos said the TSA is reviewing how the passenger got the ammunition through pre-boarding security searches. He declined to identify the man or comment further. TSA policy prohibits passengers from having firearms or ammunition in their carryon luggage.


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/12/national/main6086228.shtml?tag=stack

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BTW for those of you who don't read the rest of the story - the guy was a gun dealer which is a good explanation of why he forgot he had the shells in that bag. I hope he doesn't get punished for his honesty.

But to TSA, gee your screening is really working well. :sarcasm: What did you think those tubie things were in his carry on - a bunch of lipsticks?

[Robb]

1. Heckuva job, TSA. nt

[phantom power]

2. lipsticks -- with bbs

:rofl:

[Javaman]

25. Talk about shooting ones mouth off!!

:rofl:

[slackmaster]

3. It's a good thing he did that rather than walk into Mexico with those shells

He would be facing a prison term for doing that.

[left coaster]

4. I'm curious to know what this fellow looked like, and what his name is...

I'm guessing he wasn't a brown skinned man named Abdul, or airport security might have actually noticed those lipstick tubes.

TSA better wise up and start screening everyone with the same thoroughness.

[Chicago dyke]

16. my thoughts exactly n/t

[slackmaster]

26. Does that really matter?

The man clearly had no intent of harming anything or anyone, and his mistake did not put anyone in danger.

[Paladin]

31. 20/20 Hindsight On Your Part (n/t)

[Towlie]

5. Would he have been better off to just keep his mouth shut?

The shells would never have been discovered since he had already gone through security, and you can never count on rational behavior from TSA or Homeland Security, so why did he bother? What did he gain?

What do you think?

[melm00se]

6. he is something

called "honest".

[left coaster]

8. I don't know.. if it had been me..

..and I would have realized my mistake, after boarding, I might have been terrified that, even though I had gotten past initial security checks, there might be some repercussions waiting for me when I get off the plane.. so I can understand his knee-jerk honesty.. I probably would have done the same thing.

[RamboLiberal]

11. Why be terrified about repercussions getting off the plane?

You don't have to go through security at the destination unless some extraordinary circumstances ensued if you're only flying dosmetic.

[left coaster]

15. I know about security, and perhaps this man did too..

..but fear is irrational, is what I'm trying to point out.. and to realize that you've made this kind of mistake, the sudden fearful realization could very well trump reason.. hence his knee-jerk admission? I'm theorizing here.. and I like to think that I'd never be so stupid as to make that kind of mistake, but if I had.. well I can't say I wouldn't pee myself when I initially realized my error..

[RamboLiberal]

9. I think if I was only flying domestic I'd have kept my mouth shut

and found a way to safely dispose of at my destination or shipped them back to myself UPS.

I applaud him for his honesty and like I said I hope they don't punish him for it.

[Gormy Cuss]

13. I think that he called attention to them

either because he was appalled that the screeners missed them or because he was making a statement about how lax the screening process is.

Either way, sending THIS guy back through screening after he told them about the shells? Moronic.

[left coaster]

20. True, the screening process blew here.. and they should have hell to pay for it..

..but the passenger still bears responsibility for forgetting about those shells and bringing them on board in the first place..

[Gormy Cuss]

22. The passenger's responsibility is tiny compared to TSA in this regard.

The TSA relies on humans identifying unsafe objects in carry-on via visual assessment of scans and there's a fairly high pressure to conduct those assessments quickly. That means that errors are bound to happen. When a passenger points out that he inadvertently carried a forbidden object through security he should be thanked not spanked.

[Posteritatis]

18. He gained a lack of a decade or three in prison if people noticed

There's also something to be said for simply being honest. I'm surprised that people here and in the article comments are so contemptuous of that idea.

[uppityperson]

23. Letting TSA know they had missed them was a good thing.

Perhaps he is just honest, perhaps he felt TSA needed to know that they had missed these.

[Botany]

7. Haven't we spent billions on sensors that detect explosives?

Last time I checked gunpowder and the primers in shotgun shells are explosives and don't the TSA personal inspect
carry on bags.



And what about the metal detectors?

[RamboLiberal]

12. Nope - the puffer machines that do that break down frequently

and are not in use at very many airport locations. They are actually being phased out.

Airport security puffer machines gasped their last this year.

Some travelers will remember the machines, actually called explosive trace portal devices, used in some of the security lines at Detroit Metro Airport.

Set up for testing at 37 airports in 2005-06, they worked by shooting blasts of air on people, supposedly dislodging traces of drugs and explosives, including PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, used in the attempted Christmas Day attack. A passenger would step into the archway, get blasted from either side by air jets, then walk through to the other side.

The Transportation Security Administration spent $29.6 million buying 207 of the machines from General Electric and Smiths Detection.
However, puffers had one problem -- they continually clogged from dirt and dust, breaking and costing thousands to maintain. Without ever detecting any explosives in real use, they were prone to false-positives and broke down after an average of 551 hours of use -- only 38% of how many hours they were supposed to serve, according to a Government Accountability Office report in October.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100103/NEWS05/1030479/1318/

[Botany]

14. but the metal detectors, the manual inspections, and or the x-ray scanner

.... should have picked up the shells.

[RamboLiberal]

21. I was pointing out that the machines that detect explosives

as a scent are being phased out. Yes whomever was monitoring the x-ray machine should've asked for a manual look at those tubular filled objects in the carry on. Heck back during Gulf War I when I was flying back from Long Island to my home destination they questioned some sea shells I had picked up off a winter beach in my carry on.

[MicaelS]

19. Primers are explosive, smokeless powder is not

Smokeless powder does not explode, it burns rapidly producing large quantities of gas which propel the projectile(s) from the barrel of the gun. However you CAN carry ammuniton which contains smokeless powder (NOT black powder or percussion caps which do explode), on an aircraft as long as it in checked luggage. See here:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1666.shtm

The key regulatory requirements to transporting firearms, firearm parts or ammunition in checked baggage are:

* You must declare all firearms to the airline during the ticket counter check-in process.
* The firearm must be unloaded.
* The firearm must be in a hard-sided container.
* The container must be locked. A locked container is defined as one that completely secures the firearm from access by anyone other than you. Cases that can be pulled open with little effort do not meet this criterion. The pictures provided here illustrate the difference between a properly packaged and an improperly packaged firearm.
* We recommend that you provide the key or combination to the security officer if he or she needs to open the container. You should remain present during screening to take the key back after the container is cleared. If you are not present and the security officer must open the container, we or the airline will make a reasonable attempt to contact you. If we can't contact you, the container will not be placed on the plane. Federal regulations prohibit unlocked gun cases (or cases with broken locks) on aircraft.
* You must securely pack any ammunition in fiber (such as cardboard), wood or metal boxes or other packaging that is specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.
* You can't use firearm magazines/clips for packing ammunition unless they completely and securely enclose the ammunition (e.g., by securely covering the exposed portions of the magazine or by securely placing the magazine in a pouch, holder, holster or lanyard).
* You may carry the ammunition in the same hard-sided case as the firearm, as long as you pack it as described above.
* You can't bring black powder or percussion caps used with black-powder type firearms in either your carry-on or checked baggage.

We and other authorities strictly enforce these regulations. Violations can result in criminal prosecution and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.

Airlines may have their own additional requirements on the carriage of firearms and the amount of ammunition that you may have in your checked baggage. Therefore, travelers should also contact the airline regarding its firearm and ammunition carriage policies.

Also, please note that many other countries have different laws that address transportation and possession of firearms. If you are traveling internationally, please check with the authorities at your destination about their requirements.

[PSPS]

10. More proof that TSA isn't about 'security' at all -- only conditioning the populace

And, based on many postings I see on DU in threads related to TSA and the strip searches we're apparently about to be demeaned with, it is doing its job quite well.

[left coaster]

17. Well.. as I already posted up thread..

Not looking like a 'terra-ist' is what got this guy a free pass to begin with..

Edited to add that I don't know what this man looks like.. I'm presuming..

[lollybaby]

27. I just had to say this...

I am struck by your comment, "Not looking like a 'terra-ist' is what got this guy a free pass to begin with.." How true this statement could be... Most posters have simply determined that this subject is a honest person maybe because he is "Not looking like a 'terra-ist' is what got this guy a free pass to begin with.."
Most posters have determined that this subject made a mistake because he is "Not looking like a 'terra-ist' is what got this guy a free pass to begin with.."

What happened to ignorance of the law is no excuse. Who in today's America still mistakingly leaves bullets inside a 'Carry-on'. Remember, the hell that ensued when a single bullet was found inside a plane cabin not too long ago? Where in today's America does this subject live that taking a bunch bullets on board a plane in 'Carry-On' is the act of a honest man making a mistake except again he is "Not looking like a 'terra-ist' is what got this guy a free pass to begin with.." I am just saying...

[damntexdem]

24. I'm glad he didn't have them sewn into his underwear -- that would be uncomfortable.

But I have seen Xmas lights made out of shotgun shells -- so maybe he was just carrying tree decorations. ;-)

[lollybaby]

29. Talking about under wear...

Could it be possible that the joke was on that so-called Nigerian Underwear Bomber and the rest of us from a group very intelligent Security operatives (maybe CIA, FBI or some very truly effective undercover US government agency) that figured the best way to win the fight against those bent on carrying out attacks in the United States, is to find such individuals, successfully infiltrate that individual's space and mind, arrange and manage what these individuals think is an actual plot to attack, ensure such individuals follow through on their intent and then apprehend them while at the same time, humiliating such individuals through creative ways like providing such individuals with non-functional devices and advising such individuals to conceal these non-functional devices in embarrassing spots like one's crotch, so they can be apprehended and prosecuted using the due process of the law!

Considering my line of work, allows me to manage the activities of so-called 'Bad guys' so they can be duly prosecuted in a court of law maybe without too much creativity, i.e embarrassing spots and all, I will seriously bet the sucker of an Underwear bomber got hosed by some wise-cracking CIA agent, I am just saying...

[Devil_Fish]

28. And we need full body scannsers why? When we obviously don't use the tech we alredy have. NT

[Xenotime]

30. Two words: dumb-fucking-ass

[Psephos]

33. that's three words ;) n/t

[unkachuck]

32. no problem....

....just show us your NRA membership card and jump onboard....