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TSA: Gun Discoveries In Baggage Up 20% In 2015 Over 2014 (networkworld.com)
coondoggie writes: There was a 20% increase in firearm discoveries at TSA airport checkins from 2014's total of 2,212. It's an astounding number really, but the details get worse. The TSA goes onto say 2,653 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging more than seven firearms per day. Of those, 2,198 (83%) were loaded. Firearms were intercepted at a total of 236 airports; 12 more airports than last year. Last year a TSA spokesman, when asked of the TSA has a theory on why so many more guns are being brought onboard airlines, Tweeted “The vast majority of passengers just tell law enforcement, ‘I forgot.’ We continue to remind passengers they can check them.”
It is not surprising that there are ths many attempts, or that most of them are accidental. There are a staggering number of people flying, and a high number of guns in the US.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (http://www.transtats.bts.gov/) says there were 689 million passenger enplanements. You can do the math, but approximately 2,000 guns found is nowhere near a concerning number. It sounds shocking on the face of it, but with a decade of record gun sales and a strong movement for people to carry concealed, I expected for more to be found.
Most of the increase in gun violence is in cities where they have passed gun control laws. It's fairly obvious evidence that gun control laws actually have the opposite effect of what they are intended for. Criminals wind up being the only one with guns, and they run rampant and terrorize the law abiding populace.
But so forgetful that you leave it in your carry-on accidentally?
It's not like they changed the rule about firearms on planes recently. That kind of irresponsibility should get you on some ATF no-buy list. If you can't be bothered to be cognizant of carrying a weapon, you shouldn't carry one.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
http://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2015/07/07/chicagonola.jpg
What's interesting to me is how stunningly higher the murder rates are than the gun-only murder rates: less than 18% of Detroit's murders were committed by a gun.
We should ban whatever they use the other 82% of the time.
Damn those peskier facts.
"I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
Not really a scare article. It's just the TSA issuing press releases trying to make it sound like they're doing a good job despite the fact that they fail 95% of the their own tests of their system.
Getting a gun on board isn't really very useful any more.
But on second thoughts, while shooting up a single plane wouldn't do much, think about how much terrorism you could do by shooting up an airport - although you don't need to go through security to do that.
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The first, fourth, fifth, and sixth amendments can be rolled back just as easily, especially once precedents are set.
They already have. The second is protected because people want their toys, not because they worry about the constitution.
In fact, the security line itself would make a great target for a terrorist. Pick a busy airport at a very busy time of year. Get a suitcase so it looks like you're going on a flight, walk to the security line and wait until you're in the middle of it. Once you've completed your task (and presumably you are dead, but that's not a problem for most terrorists), flights will be messed up for days in that airport. Time this with a couple of people in other airports and you'd mess up flights all over the country as people panic. (And then will come the "we've got to do something" legislation from politicians stripping away more of our freedom to "protect" us from everything.)
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
In 2012 over 3,300 people died in accidents but that doesn't fit the left's narrative so it's ignored. If someone's killed with a knife the left will proclaim that's bad, a killing with a car will be met with the proclamation of "how horrible", but a killing where a gun is involved will end with the call to ban all guns. Doesn't make sense and it's due to a lack of understanding and fear of the unknown. http://www.cdc.gov/Motorvehicl...
There is approximately one billion of passengers in United States, an approximate number which includes domestic, international and private aviation helicopters and planes.
Let's crunch some numbers: 2,700 handguns were discovered for one billion boardings equals to approximately one gun per 370,000 passengers.
Let's take into the prospective:
On average, statistically, in this country there is 1.1 weapon per every person. We do not break down by the type of gun or passenger, but three forgetful citizens out of one million is a really really low number.
Here are some sobering conclusions:
1. None of the passengers had intention of using the weapon. Why? Because nobody used. Because if they wanted to they would have.
2. Even if there would be no TSA, the safety would not deteriorate or decrease. Metal detectors manned by the private screeners could detect all the forgotten weapons. More: currently cockpit doors are locked as such, a handgun inside the plane is pretty much useless. Yes: you can shoot a hole or kill a passenger or two, but the rest of passengers will tear you apart.
So it all boils down to how the question is presented:
" Why so many guns were brought to the airport".
The real questions should have been following:
Question: "In a country with 400 million guns only less than 3,000 guns are brought to the airport. All of the owners meant to leave the gun in a checked in bag? Is existence, the cost, and the false sense of security of TSA justified?"
The real answer: "No. One segment fee of $5.60 is an evidence of mind boggling waste and incompetence. This $5.60 will only increase in the future. TSA should be disbanded and handling of the security should be up to the airports and the carriers".
Without the guns, we'd still be the Colonies.
By which logic, you don;t need them any more, that one is over, you won.
I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
"I forgot" as an excuse for bringing a firearm on a plane should mean you are instantly put on a no-buy and no-fly list, and that any other guns you own must be turned over to authorities.
If you're so irresponsible that you can't remember that you're carrying a firearm, let alone a loaded one, onto a plane, then you're far, far, far too irresponsible to be trusted with a firearm under any circumstances. It very likely means you "forget" to put the guns properly in a safe or "forget" rules of responsible use, or "forget" who the hell knows what.
If you're so paranoid about terrorists that you'll try and sneak a firearm onto a plane "just in case" (and then cowardly enough to lie about why you did it, to boot) then you're probably not mentally stable enough to be a responsible firearm owner and the same rules should apply - no-buy, no-fly and your guns are confiscated.
I don't have a problem with responsible, sane gun ownership, but in no way, shape, or form does bringing a firearm onto a plane in your carry-on unless you're an air marshal, intersect with either "responsible" or "sane."
Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
I thought the mantra was that gun owners are responsible. If they forget they have a loaded gun on them, they are clearly not responsible, by the very definition of the word.
Even cops sometimes forget that they're carrying their guns, or reach down to draw their taser and accidentally draw their gun instead.
Knives and cars are not designed solely to kill things. That's the difference. With that newly-found knowledge, go back and re-make your argument.
Your wives and daughters get raped unless you have a gun? Jesus Christ, where do you live? Somalia?
I don't respond to AC's.
His bad for implying that there actually were things which are specifically legal. There aren't, you can be arrested for any action at officer discretion these days.
Attempts to block gay marriage. Supporting public officials illegally refusing to grant marriage licenses based on their own religious beliefs. Denying employees medical coverage for types of treatments that are just fine by the employees beliefs but not by the employers.
All of those are things which actually deny others their rights but somehow were twisted into the person trying to limit another being denied their right to religious freedom.
So given that there are 7 guns on airplanes everyday, can we assume that in years prior that was a good rule of thumb?
Why then are there not 7 highjackings every day?
Why are there not 7 air rage shootings everyday?
Could it be because most people carrying weapons aren't bad guys? They just want protection and don't mean to cause any harm? Certainly if they wanted to cause harm they could have.
Your wives and daughters get raped unless you have a gun? Jesus Christ, where do you live? Somalia?
Perhaps an extreme example, but let's focus on the larger issue here. Why is it that people constantly fucking forget why America was founded on the right to bear arms?
The Second Amendment was ratified in 1791, not 10 years ago by "gun nuts" as most today would like to believe. The simple fact of the matter is an unarmed nation of citizens is at risk of being disarmed by their government, and whatever violence perpetuates itself at the hands of the oppressors unarmed citizens are unable to stop. You want true control? The first action of damn near every oppressing force history has known has been disarmament of citizens. That risk has not ceased to exist for literally hundreds of years, and well before America became a nation, so let's drop the bullshit assumptions as to how we got here already.