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TSA Screeners Can't Detect Weapons (and They Never Could) (arstechnica.com)

Posted by Soulskill on from the but-they-can-grope-with-the-best-of-them dept.

JustAnotherOldGuy writes: TSA screeners' ability to detect weapons in luggage is "pitiful," according to classified reports on the security administration's ongoing story of failure and fear. "In looking at the number of times people got through with guns or bombs in these covert testing exercises it really was pathetic. When I say that I mean pitiful," said Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), speaking Tuesday during a House Oversight hearing concerning classified reports (PDF) from federal watchdogs (PDF). "Just thinking about the breaches there, it's horrific," he added. A leaked classified report this summer found that as much as 95 percent of contraband, like weapons and explosives, got through during clandestine testings. Lynch's comments were in response to the classified report's findings.

8 of 349 comments (clear)

  1. Re:And yet..... by rlp · · Score: 5, Informative

    Nothing happened ...

    because the "shoe bomber" and the "underwear bomber" were stopped by alert passengers.

    --
    [Insert pithy quote here]
  2. Re:Detecting weapons is NOT the purpose of TSA... by whitroth · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yup. As Bruce Schneir refers to it, "security theater".

    Note that the weapons the hijackers allegedly used were ILLEGAL TO CARRY ON PLANES before then, and they got them on in other ways.

                    mark

  3. 95% of Contraband... by mythosaz · · Score: 5, Informative

    Look, I hate the TSA as much as (if not more than) the next guy, but can we be clear about the numbers?

    95% of contraband, which **includes, but is not limited to** weapons got through.

    What percentage of weapons, then?

    They might just be terrible at detecting forbidden fruits and vegetables.

  4. I'm sure that won't deter them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    Guess they'll just have to step up the pat-downs conducted by their ghetto-trash employees to keep the theater going.

  5. Re:Detecting weapons is NOT the purpose of TSA... by Fire_Wraith · · Score: 5, Informative

    This, and also the fact that they reinforced and lock the cockpit doors from now on.

    The TSA has not stopped ANY attempts at bombing or hijacking airliners since 9/11. Various other methods have, but the TSA has been singularly useless.

  6. Re:Detecting weapons is NOT the purpose of TSA... by random+coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    This, and also the fact that they reinforced and lock the cockpit doors from now on.

    Which also is a major contributing factor to a certain airline suicide crash in Europe.

  7. Re:Detecting weapons is NOT the purpose of TSA... by ubrgeek · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yes you can.

    --
    Bark less. Wag more.
  8. Re:Detecting weapons is NOT the purpose of TSA... by Coren22 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yeah, .22 casings would make sense. Think of the nailgun used to put a nail in concrete, not your typical wood nailgun.

    http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ram...

    --
    APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?