Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Carrying A Gun-Shaped iPhone 'Makes It Much Less Likely You'll Catch Your Plane' (cnet.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the right-to-keep-and-bear-iPhones dept.

HughPickens.com writes: A passenger at London Stansted Airport seemed to think it was a good idea to have a gun-shaped iPhone case in his back pocket as he prepared to board a plane... [T]he police speculated on Twitter that they could proceed with charges against him for either a public order offense or for possession of an imitation firearm in a public place tweeting with the hashtag #dontbedaft that "Bringing this to an airport makes it much less likely you'll catch your plane."

[In 2015] the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey offered this warning on Facebook to potential users: "Please folks -- this cell phone case is not a cool product or a good idea. A police officer's job is hard enough, without having to make a split second decision in the dark of night when someone decides without thinking to pull this out while stopped for a motor vehicle violation..." One Twitter user responded, "On what planet is this a smart thing to do?" But the New Jersey prosecutor has asked their followers on social media to share their own opinions.

13 of 235 comments (clear)

  1. He is lucky he did not get shot on the spot by ihtoit · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That is all.

    --
    Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
    1. Re:He is lucky he did not get shot on the spot by seoras · · Score: 5, Funny

      He was in London, not Texas.

    2. Re:He is lucky he did not get shot on the spot by ihtoit · · Score: 4, Informative

      there are armed police at all UK commercial airports now, have been since 9/11.

      (source: asked an armed police officer at Nottingham East Midlands Airport last month as I was passing through).

      --
      Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
    3. Re:He is lucky he did not get shot on the spot by haruchai · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm sure there are flaming assholes in every country, profession, demographic but UK cops, compared to America's Finest, have shown phenomal restraint under some dangerous situations.

      For example, when 2 Nigerian terrorist knocked down offduty soldier Lee Rigby with a car then beheaded him with a cleaver, the unarmed cops didn't shit themselves but set up a cordon and guided passerbys away until the armed unit showed up and took both assailants alive, only shooting to wound, despite being rushed by both assailants with weapons in hand, performing 1st aid on one and getting them medical aid.

      By contrast , Officer Brelo of the Cleveland PD fired 49 shots ( his fellow cops fired a total of 90 more ) into the car, windshield and bodies of 2 African-Americans. His final 15 bullets were discharged WHILE HE WAS STANDING ON THE HOOD - but he claimed to be afraid for his life???

      --
      Pain is merely failure leaving the body
    4. Re:He is lucky he did not get shot on the spot by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yeah but police who don't actually expect get shot by members of the public, during every shift they work.

      Police don't expect to get shot by members of the public during every shift they work. Being a police officer isn't even in the top 10 deadliest jobs. Garbage collectors and truck drivers are much more likely to get killed on the job than police.

      The 10 Deadliest Jobs: Deaths per 100,000

      1. Logging workers: 128.8
      2. Fishers and related fishing workers: 117
      3. Aircraft pilot and flight engineers: 53.4
      4. Roofers: 40.5
      5. Structural iron and steel workers: 37
      6. Refuse and recyclable material collectors: 27.1
      7. Electrical power-line installers and repairers: 23
      8. Drivers/sales workers and truck drivers: 22.1
      9. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers: 21.3
      10. Construction laborers: 17.4

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    5. Re:He is lucky he did not get shot on the spot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      lol I have no idea on that, what I do know from training firearms authorised police officers in range marksmanship is that the "normal" armed response (airport cops aren't armed response, they're armed transport police) carry Glock 17s, Heckler & Koch MP5SF carbines, custom H&K G3 DSR (designated sniper rifles), Sig SG 516 AR-15 rifles, HK417 marksmen rifles, and Remington 870 shotguns.

      They must be very muscular and strong to carry around all those guns!

    6. Re:He is lucky he did not get shot on the spot by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Not that it wasn't a tragedy, but you had to go more than a decade back to find that example.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    7. Re:He is lucky he did not get shot on the spot by haruchai · · Score: 4, Informative

      "They hid! While Lee Rigby was having his head chopped off, they were staying on the other side of the crowd"
      Bullshit.
      Unarmed officers showed up 9 minutes after the emerg call at 14:20h by which point Rigby was already dead and been dragged into the road.
      Armed unit took another 5 minutes to arrive.

      --
      Pain is merely failure leaving the body
    8. Re:He is lucky he did not get shot on the spot by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      They wouldn't even have BEEN at the scene in Baton Rouge if the guy in question hadn't been waving a gun around and threatening.

      They took the guy's gun out of his pocket after they shot and killed him.

      I don't know if you've seen the videos, but the tazers had done their job. The guy had one arm laying useless and the other in a "Please don't shoot me!" gesture. He was nowhere near pulling a gun.

      As I said (and as you can learn from my citation), the police are taught to shoot and kill before they see a threat.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    9. Re:He is lucky he did not get shot on the spot by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Informative

      I call BS on professional airline pilot. Pilot in general, sure, due to general aviation. But no way on commercial aviation.

      You can call BS all you want.

      https://www.washingtonpost.com...

      http://time.com/4326676/danger...

      http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/12...

      These are statistics from three different years. And being a police officer is still less dangerous than being a taxi driver or janitor.

      If you don't like the statistics, you can call and complain to the Washington Post, Time Magazine, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and CNBC.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  2. Whoah by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment but even I think this is foolhardy at best and insanely stupid at worst.

    And trying to board a plane with it these days seems like a terrifically stupid thing to do, despite the fact that it's not actually a firearm.

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
    1. Re:Whoah by Jhon · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's part of an ans amble. There's a matching vest with wires and color coordinated blocks of clay and smoking shoes.

  3. What the FUCK? by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Don't get me wrong. I'm the first to defend anyone from overreaching, overzealous and trigger-happy "must-fight-terrrrrrism" idiots shivering in their boots because they assume that everyone and their dog wants to blow them to kingdom come. But how STUPID do you have to be to bring something shaped like a GUN to an airport?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.