Costly $$$ Careless Mistake

[VaTom]

Last Wednesday my niece and her husband were leaving for a vacation on an early morning flight. Both are hard working, law abiding family people. When going through TSA screening at our local airport the husband's loaded 9mm pistol was found in his carry on back pack. He had been to the family farm the previous Sunday target shooting and in the rush to leave forgot the pistol was still in the pack. Detained, missed flights, local police confiscated pistol, and charged but released. Fine could be up to $15,000 for bringing weapon to a TSA checkpoint. Average fine for first offense is $3900. Was on our local news.

Always check your bags before leaving for the airport. Careless handling of firearms is dangerous and cistly. No excuse.

 

[M29since14]

I'm not sure how anyone competent to handle firearms makes such an enormous mistake, but I'm not going to be too outspoken in criticizing. We've all done dumb stuff and I imagine he feels bad enough. I hope things go as well for him as can be expected. Please let us know how this ends up.

 

[pasound]

That's a checklist that should never be forgotten. Take it home, unload it, put it away. Crossing a TSA checkpoint with a weapon is a Federal crime. He could lose his right to buy guns for the rest of his life, let alone have all of his guns confiscated.

A recent incident at my local airport was a man with a loaded .32 derringer.

 

[chief38]

HUGE mistake! Guns and ammunition are not like any other type of product - that's a given! The first thing I do when returning from a Range trip is to clean my firearms. I always leave enough time for that and immediately after, the gun goes in the safe. If it's a rare occasion and I don't have enough time, I just lock it up and clean it later.

My dedicated Range bag does not get used for any other purpose other than to transport guns to and from a Range. It also contains many other accoutrements like a cleaning kit, binoculars, a first aid kit, paper targets, a few tools, extra glasses and muffs, a hat, etc. - that stuff is always in there. After using this Range bag for 20+ years now, I am sure a trained K-9 dog could smell it at 100 yards - lol.

I am NOT chastising him for his mistake but would bet he will never make it again! A gun is not a pair of smelly sneakers left in a gym bag. Leaving a loaded gun in an unattended back pack for the week is not a good idea either!!

 

[VaTom]

That's a checklist that should never be forgotten. Take it home, unload it, put it away. Crossing a TSA checkpoint with a weapon is a Federal crime. He could lose his right to buy guns for the rest of his life, let alone have all of his guns confiscated.

A recent incident at my local airport was a man with a loaded .32 derringer.

^^^^ Agree.
Always have a range bag separate from your other backpacks, travel bags, etc. Leaving a loaded handgun in a bag around the house is also dangerous to children. My niece and her husband should know better. They have two children under 5 years old. Little kids are curious.Fortunately they didn't get hold of it. A tough lesson to learn!

 

[elgatodeacero]

An innocent (no criminal intent) first time offender is usually just warned, or given a small fine.

Unfortunate, but sounds like no criminal intent. People have busy lives, mistakes happen.

 

[AlHunt]

Meanwhile, our Tammany Hall government treats "The Law" like so much litter box liner ... But this guy will be drawn and quartered. How about we treat him like a multi repeat violent offender and give him an award? Maybe a free apartment and a pension for life?

 

[BabaBlueJay]

I am guessing this guy is a carry rotation guy. This is why I keep the amount I own small. Carry gun home defense gun varmint rifle I always know where my carry gun is, because I only have one.

If you plan on having a rotation or guns that fill roles such as a backpack gun, then you must be extra vigilant. There is no excuse for not knowing you have a gun on you, that is carelessness.

All of that said, it is a shame we have more security at the TSA for citizens than we do for other purposes where this security is more necessary. I hope he gets off light, and learns from this experience.

 

[ladder13]

Stuff happens, no one is perfect.

 

[max503]

Yea. People makes mistakes. But Dang.



His 6 year old could have found it.

 

[chief38]

In 2013 while embarking on our cruise ship my friends 16 year old son who was just ahead if me on the security line was abruptly stopped by a TASA agent. The agent said the kid could not bring on board the brass belt buckle with an embossed picture of two Colt 1860 black powder revolvers on it. Yes, it was a picture! I said to the TSA agent in total genuine amazement, "Sir, IT IS AN EMBOSSED 3 INCH PICTURE", surely you are joking..... He was not! The kid had to surrender the belt buckle in order to clear TSA inspection. How sad is that!? I guess it looks great on HIS belt now.

After seeing this actually happen, I can imagine just how freaked out they would get with a real firearm and live ammo.

Just after 9-11 happened I had to go into Manhattan on business. It was a 50 mile trip from LI where I used to live. I had a Lincoln Navigator at that time and had been shooting sporting clays two days before. No shooting items or empties were in the car however they set up a road block to keep anyone from entering below Houston Street - unless on official business. Well I proved to them I was on an official business trip but they had a K-9 dog sniff my vehicle and of course the dog picked up the gun powder smell from the few days before. They emptied out my entire vehicle onto the street, thoroughly inspected it and then finally after 45 minutes let me enter. And that was just for a dog's sniff!!

 

[CH4]

Ouch!
Hope everything works out with the least amount of discomfort.

 

[walter o]

VA TOM sad that it happened .took some courage to put on this forum for all to comment .I am sure that ALL of us have made mistakes . Hope it works out for the best.

 

[robvious]

the worst part of being human... mistakes.. hope this all works out with minimal family impact

 

[AlHunt]

I'd be astonished if anyone who has handled guns for any length of time hasn't made an error in gun handling. Maybe minor, maybe major. We've all done it, most of us have learned from it.

 

[murphydog]

In 2013 while embarking on our cruise ship my friends 16 year old son who was just ahead if me on the security line was abruptly stopped by a TASA agent. The agent said the kid could not bring on board the brass belt buckle with an embossed picture of two Colt 1860 black powder revolvers on it. Yes, it was a picture! I said to the TSA agent in total genuine amazement, "Sir, IT IS AN EMBOSSED 3 INCH PICTURE", surely you are joking..... He was not! The kid had to surrender the belt buckle in order to clear TSA inspection. How sad is that!? I guess it looks great on HIS belt now.

After seeing this actually happen, I can imagine just how freaked out they would get with a real firearm and live ammo.

Just after 9-11 happened I had to go into Manhattan on business. It was a 50 mile trip from LI where I used to live. I had a Lincoln Navigator at that time and had been shooting sporting clays two days before. No shooting items or empties were in the car however they set up a road block to keep anyone from entering below Houston Street - unless on official business. Well I proved to them I was on an official business trip but they had a K-9 dog sniff my vehicle and of course the dog picked up the gun powder smell from the few days before. They emptied out my entire vehicle onto the street, thoroughly inspected it and then finally after 45 minutes let me enter. And that was just for a dog's sniff!!

A few years back I remember a story about a gun being confiscated at an airport checkpoint. It was a toy gun a mom made for her kid's Woody cowboy doll from the movie "Toy Story", about an inch long...

 

[johngalt]

I have a separate bag I keep my shooting stuff in. It never gets used for anything else. Hopefully that helps to avoid making that sort of mistake.

 

[smoothshooter]

I rarely fly, and hope I never have to again.
When I have had to fly in the past I only use bags that are to be used for that purpose and that purpose ONLY. Nothing firearms related ever goes in those bags. If I need a day bag at my destination for carrying a gun I buy one after arrival, use it, and throw it away before going to the airport to come home.
I have flown with a handgun a couple of times and packed, locked, and declared it in accordance with TSA rules in a dedicated container. No problems.

 

[haywood]

If I shoot it, it gets cleaned and put away. It's been that way for well over 40 years. Back in our camping days, after a afternoon of shooting, my gun got cleaned and secured, knowing I was going to shoot it again the next day. I carry Two guns most days. All others are locked up. If I have to put one away it gets locked up so knowone gets easy access. There was never a time that a gun was left in a range bag. Even in an emergency they are at least secured. No I'm not perfect but, I try to be careful with firearms.

 

[ameridaddy]

...He had been to the family farm the previous Sunday target shooting and in the rush to leave forgot the pistol was still in the pack....

That's why my range bag(s) - just free tool bags I got from Dewalt or Porter Cable - are nothing but dedicated range bags. They never go anywhere but the range outside the house. Guns NEVER go into any other bag. When I've gone to Florida, for example, I've gone to a range and shot while there. The range bag went along, all gun stuff in the range bag, and my suitcase with clothes etc, had NOTHING pertaining to guns in it, not even ammo or so much as a screwdriver.
A TSA gun encounter is the big booby prize, but guns and gun stuff appearing unexpectedly at the wrong place, wrong time can at the least make some people uncomfortable.
OP, I hope your niece and family come out of this as whole as possible.