70 Laptops Got Left Behind At An Airport Security Checkpoint In One Month (bravotv.com) 170
America's Transportation Security Administration has been making some surprising announcements on social media. An anonymous reader writes:
A TSA spokesperson says 70 laptops were left behind in just one month at an airport security checkpoint in Newark. "And yes, there are plenty of shiny MacBooks in that pile," reported BravoTV, "which can cost in the $2,000 range new." The TSA shared an image of the 70 laptops on their Instagram page and on Twitter, prompting at least one mobile project designer to reclaim his laptop. "The most common way laptops are forgotten is when traveler's stack a bin on top of the bin their laptop is in," the TSA warns. "Out of sight out of mind."
The TSA is also sharing pictures on social media of the 70 guns they confiscated at security checkpoints in one week in November, reporting they've also confiscated a blowtorch, batarangs, and a replica of that baseball bat from "The Walking Dead". They're reporting they found 33 loaded firearms in carry-on luggage in one week, and remind readers that gun-carrying passengers "can face a penalty as high as $11,000. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home."
The TSA is also sharing pictures on social media of the 70 guns they confiscated at security checkpoints in one week in November, reporting they've also confiscated a blowtorch, batarangs, and a replica of that baseball bat from "The Walking Dead". They're reporting they found 33 loaded firearms in carry-on luggage in one week, and remind readers that gun-carrying passengers "can face a penalty as high as $11,000. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home."
Maybe I'm more anal-retentive than most (Score:2)
But I have a hard time understanding how anybody could forget their laptop at a TSA checkpoint.
On the other hand, I can think of one coworker who, if she announced this had happened to her, no one would be surprised in the least. But we're all routinely baffled by what passes for thought process in her head anyway.
laptops on the conveyor belt (Score:3)
In the past, when laptops used to be a part of my carry-on baggage, I'd make sure I was ahead of it, or I'd put it behind the bag(s) and other personal items, like shoes. That way, when I'm past security and waiting to collect my stuff, it has yet to come out and nobody ahead of me can steal it.
Ever since I got tablets, I just pack the laptop in the check-in luggage, and don't look at it until I have reached the destination. B/w the phone and tablet, I have enough material to keep me entertained durin
Re:laptops on the conveyor belt (Score:4)
I don't trust the carry on luggage with the laptop. My backpack has a "checkpoint friendly" part, where I can just bisect the bag and have the laptop available for their X-Ray devices. But you should absolutely put the little tray with your shoes in front (along with any belt), followed by anything else you can justify putting into a little tray, followed by your actual carry-on item. This way, you'll at least get your shoes while the decide to screen the living shit out of your carry on bags.
The whole thing is fucking awful. The fact that they will sell you a special line where they check almost nothing proves that it's a scam.
Re:laptops on the conveyor belt (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:3)
If it was about that, then they'd open those lines to anyone who had been vetted by the government already. They don't. The lines are open for those who pay.
Re: (Score:3)
Re:laptops on the conveyor belt (Score:5, Informative)
If it was about that, then they'd open those lines to anyone who had been vetted by the government already. They don't. The lines are open for those who pay.
Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong (I use the TSA PreCheck program, which I paid for, but am not a US government employee with a security clearance). But I believe that if you've already been vetted by the US government in terms of a security clearance or a DoD ID then you don't need to pay for PreCheck, you can just use those lanes automatically. And the average US civilian/military security clearance investigation costs upwards of $50K.
Not to sound like a PreCheck fanboy, but if you fly more than a few times a year it is absolutely in your best interest to pay for PreCheck. Basically they look (from what I understand) to see if you're a felon, are on a no-fly watchlist, and/or have firearms related offenses or "I freaked out in the airport when they frisked me" issues. They take your fingerprints, too.
If you don't have any concerns with the above, then the $85 that PreCheck costs (for a five year term) is amortized over the cost of your time waiting in lines over five years in airport lines. I can't speak for every airport, but in Seattle the time differential between PreCheck and general boarding is often 45 minutes of waiting or more, as well as not having to take off my shoes, not having to take my laptop out of my bag, and generally being treated more like a human being than a Gitmo detainee.
You can make a cogent argument that none of the above is necessary and that it's all Security Theater. But you can't say that PreCheck is something for the one percenters when it averages out to $17/year. If you fly more than a couple times a year - and you value your time - then it's a no-brainer.
Do I believe that the government should prefer a "safe by default" rather than a "safe by exception" profile for its citizens? Yes, absolutely. There's no reason that an 85-year-old grandmother from Minnesota in a wheelchair should face a pat-down and the same security precautions as a 23-year-old Syrian national. I've flown to Israel multiple times (on El Al) and their security precautions (while undoubtedly invasive to anyone) are tailored to the perceived "risk profiles" of the passengers.The US should absolutely tailor its security procedures to risk profiles.
But the TL;DR version is that US security screening, for all its faults, isn't based on who can pay. It's based on an assumption (however faulty) that everyone is a potential terrorist, and that those who fly a lot can make an effort to show that they are less of a risk - at a very low cost when averaged over how often they fly.
Re: (Score:2)
Another alternative is Nexus, which gets you pre-check as well. It costs $50 for a five year term. Isn't an intensive process either - you fill out some stuff online and then go in for a orientation session, and a few weeks later you get your card. Also helps at customs and immigration going into and out of Canada/US.
Re: (Score:2)
There's no reason that an 85-year-old grandmother from Minnesota in a wheelchair should face a pat-down and the same security precautions as a 23-year-old Syrian national.
Actually, there is.
Is a grandmother going to be radicalized? Unlikely.
But think of this: Someone with malicious intent finds out that granny is going to fly. They tell her that "look, you don't have long left to live anyway, Smuggle something aboard this aircraft and nothing will happen to your grandchildren".
Everyone could be coerced into this. Doesn't even have to smuggle it onto your own aircraft, just past the checkpoint and hand it off to someone else who will use it on another aircraft. Granny gets to
Re: (Score:2)
Amortised over the cost of the waiting time it's still $85. You're assuming that waiting time can be otherwise spent productively by passengers. For the vast majority of them it can't. They need to be at the airport due to baggage checkin requirements not due to security clearance, and whether I stand in line reading Slashdot from my phone or sit in the lounge reading Slashdot the difference is the same.
The exception is either the 1%ers or the people flying on actual business who need to have access to thei
Re: (Score:3)
> But I believe that if you've already been vetted by the US government in terms of a security clearance or a DoD ID then you don't need to pay for PreCheck, you can just use those lanes automatically.
This is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. People with clearances don't get to use those lines for free.
> if you fly more than a few times a year it is absolutely in your best interest to pay for PreCheck
Yes dude, that itself IS THE PROBLEM. The PreCheck is even less secure than the currenty TSA bullshit, which is itse
Re: (Score:2)
I think the fact that they are actually catching a lot of stuff ... you know, the point of TFA ... proves the screening worthwhile.
Really? Catching a few knives and guns (not to mention the honey, fake grenades, and home electronic projects) is worth the $7,599,999,999.95 [tsa.gov] we spend on it every year? How many people planned on using these "weapons" on the aircraft? Oh that's right. None of them (except the lady with the hot sauce grenade, because airplane food sucks). We should be going after dangerous people, not dangerous things. But we know these are not dangerous people, because after the TSA finds the knife or gun, they confiscate i
Re: (Score:2)
Any belt? ANY belt?
Yeah, I've had the occasional officious fuckwit who insists on me removing the plastic buckled nylon webbing straps which I've used as belts for nearly 30 years now. Then I remove the laces from my boots (blocking the line for several minutes), because they're as dangerous as any belt.
You probably mean "any metal belt buckle, or other large piece of metal" before going though the metal detector.
Re:laptops on the conveyor belt (Score:4, Insightful)
Nobody would steal anything from a security checkpoint. Every single person in that area is identifiable from their boarding passes, long with the face recognition tracking systems that a lot (sure, not the smaller ones) of airports are using now. In addition to being identifiable you are also completely traceable, and, have no where to go: security staff can just find you sitting in your seat on your next flight.
So no, any sane person would keep their hands to themselves.
However, if 70 people are leaving their laptops behind then I am sure many others are taking the wrong bags and/or gear by accident.
Recycling fees? (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe this is a dodge to dispose of an old laptop you want to get rid of without paying a fee to recycle it?
Re: Recycling fees? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I did that once. Picked up the wrong Thinkpad. Didn't notice until I was at the gate.
Opened it up to do some work...Hey, this isn't mine.
Rush back to get mine, and "Where's the dude that belongs to this one?" Oh well. Not my problem anymore.
Playing with fire (Score:4, Insightful)
Any frequent traveler like myself will tell you you're playing with fire leaving valuables like a laptop in a checked bag. Checked bags are lost ALL THE TIME, stolen from all the time, and damaged even more. If you're lucky, your travel insurance may throw you a bone for the value of the laptop but they won't be able to replace the value of what's on it. I won't even get into how disruptive it will be to your business trip or vacation to have a missing laptop.
Rule #1, avoid checking luggage at all costs. Rule #2, if you are forced to check, don't put anything in there except clothing, sundries, and other things of little value.
Re: (Score:2)
Rule #3 don't have any critical documents or anything else you would miss on a laptop when you travel through security.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I'm always careful to grab mine, but with all the bullshit rules these days I have FOUR FUCKING BINS plus my bag to take through TSA.
It's complete fucking security theater. Stop requiring removal of all these devices that just slow down lines and lead to lost items. It's all bullshit.
Re: Maybe I'm more anal-retentive than most (Score:2)
Four bins? Are you a sales rep for HP or something? The most I have ever had to use was three... one for the client's laptop I was returning that week.
But I agree it's total bullshit. Even with all the extra hassel, I normally get slowed only by the agents being slow at their job. To me, the TSA is the new DMV.
Re:Maybe I'm more anal-retentive than most (Score:4, Informative)
I'm always careful to grab mine, but with all the bullshit rules these days I have FOUR FUCKING BINS plus my bag to take through TSA.
It's complete fucking security theater. Stop requiring removal of all these devices that just slow down lines and lead to lost items. It's all bullshit.
If you travel much, pay the money ($100) and go through the process of getting your Global Entry card, which also gives you TSA Pre-check. It's well worth it for the hassle it saves. For a little less ($85) you can sign up for TSA Pre only, but if you ever leave the country the $15 extra for Global Entry will make re-entering the US much easier. I recommend Global Entry even if you just think you *might* travel internationally.
Re: (Score:2)
On the laptops, I use a sleeve from RadTech for my MacBook Air. This makes it sufficiently distinctive that I don't need to think about if it is mine or someone else's. Stickers can do the same thing.
Re: (Score:2)
Ah yes, pay the extortion fee to regain your rights back as a conditional privilege. Thanks for making our lives easier, Toilet Safety Administration!
Yep, it sucks. But as a practical matter, if you travel regularly it makes your life much easier. Most of the time. You don't always get TSA Pre, even after paying the extortion fee. But you get it 90+% of the time, and are happy you did, especially when lines are long and you are carrying a lot of crap.
TSA Pre has allowed me to return to my pre-9/11 habit of arriving at the airport 25-30 minutes prior to departure, so that by the time I reach the gate I can walk right on. BTW, I don't recommend this habi
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Don't try that crap with Frontier, or you will 100% get screwed. They leave early on purpose so they can make people pay the re-ticketing fee.
If they close the door too early (not sure what the line is), they not only can't charge you, they have "involuntarily refused boarding", in FAA terms, and they are required to buy you a ticket on the next available flight (on any carrier) to your destination, and pay you a cash penalty ($500?). This actually happened to me once.
Re: (Score:3)
I'm always careful to grab mine, but with all the bullshit rules these days I have FOUR FUCKING BINS plus my bag to take through TSA.
It's complete fucking security theater. Stop requiring removal of all these devices that just slow down lines and lead to lost items. It's all bullshit.
...This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home.
How about we leave the TSA at home? And DHS along with them? They don't actually keep US citizens safe, they keep the US government safe from citizens.
Strat
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Maybe I'm more anal-retentive than most (Score:5, Informative)
But I have a hard time understanding how anybody could forget their laptop at a TSA checkpoint.
A lot of people experience anxiety and distraction when they're going through the security line. You're being led around like cattle and are subject to a bunch of random rules that could result in a pain and a bunch of delays (maybe worse) if you aren't careful to pay attention. Doing an extra check to make sure you have everything may not always be at the top of your list.
Just a few ways that immediately come to mind:
(1) You're getting on a 6am flight, so you're going through security at 5am and haven't had a cup of coffee yet because the TSA won't allow you to carry one. So you're just in a "haze."
(2) You have small children or are accompanying a person who can't take care of their own stuff for some reason, so you're juggling a huge number of bins and bags and trying not to forget anything, while also trying not to hold up the line.
(3) The TSA personnel distract you with some bogus extra search procedure that makes you feel uncomfortable... or they are overly brusque with you, which makes you a little paranoid (because they have the power to detain you). So you're distracted by this other stuff -- in ADDITION to having to deal with the indignities of putting back on your belt, shoes, packing up you little "baggie of liquids," etc. while people are crowding around trying to do the same.
Lots of other scenarios. I had a good friend (not at all an idiot or scatter-brained) who forgot his once, but luckily realized it when he got to his gate and went to do some work. He came back and retrieved it in time. I had another acquaintance who lost his and did NOT recover it.
I actually ended up adopting my own crude "reminder procedure" after hearing about these -- I commonly carry my laptop in some sort of sleeve in my bag anyway. I used to just reach in my bag and grab the laptop to put in the separate bin. Now I take the sleeve out of the bag and put it in the bin with my laptop bag (but outside of it), and my laptop obviously in a separate bin. I obviously will need to deal with the sleeve before I depart the TSA area. Just in case I'm distracted, I think there's a much lower chance that I'll just unthinkingly place my empty laptop sleeve back into my bag without realizing my laptop's missing. I doubt I'd forget my laptop, but I know how often it happens, so a little extra precaution doesn't hurt.
Re:Maybe I'm more anal-retentive than most (Score:4, Interesting)
Actually, this article is much ado about virtually nothing.
According to this page [panynj.gov] there were 35 million passengers through Liberty International Airport in 2014. That's about 3 million / month. 70 laptops in that pile of people is less than a tenth of a percent. Lots less.
Nothing to see here, move along.
Re: (Score:2)
Nothing to see here, move along.
Unless you lost your laptop, in which case you may want to look closely at the photo and maybe try to get it back.
Re: (Score:2)
To remember mine: I unzip the laptop bag and take the laptop out and place it in the bin. Then I put all the crap in my pockets into the slot in the laptop bag. When I pass through security, my own trained behaviors of checking my pockets for my wallet, keys,and phone, ensures my laptop goes back in the bag. An added bonus is my personal effects are not on show, nor is my wallet likely to be flipped out of the tray by the hanging baffles on the x-ray machine. I've seen it happen before.
Re: (Score:2)
For (1), you realize you should be at the airport around 2 hours ahead of the flight
Re: (Score:2)
Which brings me to my #1 pet peeve. Why don't they have longer ramps both before and after security?
I don't like the answer, but I'm giving it to you. So please don't mod me down for being factual.
The reason is that every major airport in the US was designed before the "TSA era." Imagine a movie theater that was designed to just take your ticket, and then having to retrofit it to put a body scanner and personal items X-Ray into your ability to get into the theater. You can't rebuild the building to accommodate the new requirements, you just have to jam it in somehow. And so, in the same space, you have to
Re: (Score:2)
(2) You have small children ...
I have a novel solution here, pack less. Much less.
BWAHAHAAAAHAHAA!!! Clearly you are not a parent.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Maybe I'm more anal-retentive than most (Score:2)
and lead an army of True Christians to slaughter all the infidels such as Protestants
Evangelicals are Protestants (even if they don't tend to be aware of it); just an FYI...
Re: (Score:2)
George Carlin
Re:Maybe I'm more anal-retentive than most (Score:4, Interesting)
I "left" my laptop at a checkpoint in Dallas. I had to put my bags through the scanner and then was held up for a manual check. While I was waiting I was trying to keep an eye on my bags so noone nicked them but I was on the wrong side of the body scanner so couldn't see them.
By the time I'd gotten through - probably 4-5 minutes of waiting - the tray with my laptop was gone. I have since realised that it was probably because the tray was a grey metal colour, almost identical to that of my laptop, the tray was just seen as empty by a TSA employee and stacked with others.
I was, of course, upset. The TSA kept me waiting completely uninterested in my loss, before finally deciding to help me look through a pile of them. It wasn't found and then I had to go get my flight. I tried to log a report with them and basically just got given a phone number (written on a scrap of paper) - there is obviously no good system to manage this process.
After a few days of basically I was referred to the DWF Traveller's Aid people; eventually I got a call from someone from the TSA saying it was found. The Traveller's Aid were awesome about packing it up securely and sending it to me via courier at a pretty respectable price.
I'm sure a lot of people forget it because they get through security and simply forgot they put it down. I've walked away from security leaving an entire bag there once and remembering only a few minutes later.
I should note: this was by /far/ my worst TSA experience at a checkpoint. I flew a lot in the US in the last two years and I always opted out (unless I was running late). Every time I got extremely courteous and professional responses from the staff.
Re: (Score:2)
But I have a hard time understanding how anybody could forget their laptop at a TSA checkpoint.
On the other hand, I can think of one coworker who, if she announced this had happened to her, no one would be surprised in the least. But we're all routinely baffled by what passes for thought process in her head anyway.
It's easy to remember your laptop when you only have to worry about yourself, your shoes, your laptop and your bag at security.
Try traveling on little sleep with a few of your own children (who are scared of the security process), an elderly parent, and pushy TSA agents. Then see if your perspective changes.
Re: (Score:2)
I used to think that, and then I was "that guy." I didn't leave it at security but actually left it on the plane. Was traveling with my fiancee and her 4-year-old son, it was fairly chaotic and I managed to leave it in the seat back pocket. I didn't realize it until an hour or more later during our layover when I was going to look something up on it. It was a VERY sickening feeling to realize what had happened. At that point, that airplane had already departed for another destination.
Thanks to some excepti
Re: (Score:2)
Agreed. but not reclaiming it afterwards, or at least searching for it, is beyond me.
Re:Maybe I'm more anal-retentive than most (Score:5, Funny)
But the flight is probably more enjoyable if you remember the laptop but forget the child.
Re: (Score:2)
Agreed. but not reclaiming it afterwards, or at least searching for it, is beyond me.
When you're basking in the afterglow of your intimate groping by the TSA, it's easy for other issues to slip your mind.
Re: (Score:3)
...forever?
Damn, Slashdot really missed this clickbait title: "TSA groping causes amnesia!"
Re: (Score:2)
...forever?
Actually I was somewhat let down by my TSA fondling: He never called, he never wrote, ...
Re: (Score:2)
More that the TSA in the US is more anal than just about any other country, It is pretty rare to find airport security that requires removal of belts and shoes and jackets etc, while in the US it is far rarer to find somewhere that that is not a requirement.
And then they get pissed when you DO take off your belt, shoes, jackets, etc.
All the passengers fault.. (Score:4, Insightful)
I am sure it's all the passengers fault. Not people desperately trying to get to their flight after a long delay waiting for their turn at a bit of ineffective security theatre..
Of course this would be solved by not requiring them to remove their laptops.. Something which would have next to no effect on the uselessness of their scanning anyway..
But no.. It's all the travelers fault. Silly travelers.. They deserve to have their items removed.
Of course it should be quite trivial door then to track down the owners right? TSA is so proud of how well informed they are about the travelers.. Surely they can localise the owners of one of a handful of people? No?
Re: (Score:2)
Surely they can localise the owners of one of a handful of people?
Did I miss the memo? Is slavery back in vogue?
Re: (Score:2)
TSA Prescreen is your friend (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Which is kind of funny given the USA has been finger printing all foreign visitors for quite some time.
Re: (Score:2)
That was my first thought. My second thought was..."I wonder how hard it is to recover your laptop when you get back from your trip?" The TSA as a reputation as quite light-fingered, so maybe these are just the ones nobody wanted, because they'd already acquired all they need. Unless you think they are selling them, in which case this is hard to explain.
Re: (Score:2)
Precisely because of the hassle of getting back in through security.
Amusing; four "security theatre" articles today... (Score:2)
Amusing; four "security theatre" articles today on other sites, and now we have an "It's *not theatre*" article on Slashdot.
Looks like they have some pretty good spin doctors on their payroll...
Re: (Score:2)
I've been wondering how long this theater will go on before we see another spectacular fail. The whole reason we see this theater now is because of a security failure overcome by people that planned an attack for months or even years. The security people are looking for weapons but what of a strong arm attack?
Weapons will certainly get attention but what if there was just an overwhelming number of attackers? It might not have the same effect in that not as many innocent people would die on the place sinc
Re: (Score:2)
What makes you think that any significant proportion of flight crew have or desire weapons training?
I don't know the proportion of flight crew in America who are ex-military, and of them the proportion who have weapons training and have kept it up, and who want to keep it up. But in Britain the number of pilots leaving the military and
Re: (Score:2)
What makes you think that any significant proportion of flight crew have or desire weapons training?
The fact that once it was available the armed crew program could not keep up with demand for training and certification. I just typed "armed flight crew" into Google and up came a news article on how more than 10% of eligible flight deck officers took advantage of the program and as many as 15% of US domestic flights have at least one armed member of the crew.
I don't know the proportion of flight crew in America who are ex-military, and of them the proportion who have weapons training and have kept it up, and who want to keep it up. But in Britain the number of pilots leaving the military and going into passenger piloting is pretty low. The large majority of flight crew have never seen a weapon outside the hands of the police at international airports and few would want the difficulty of maintaining weapons certification for themselves.
That is just a demonstration that the UK is made of "subjects" and not "citizens". A subject is the property of a ruling class, a citizen is someone
Re: (Score:2)
That is just crazy talk. I will even admit that my concern of a strong arm take over of a passenger plane is far fetched. Taking over an airplane today is exceedingly difficult. Putting some sort of biological agent in aircraft fuel with the intent to spread it over a populated area by dumping the fuel is just wild.
Someone using a crop duster or sky writer plane might be more likely. Also much more likely to be successful. This is assuming someone is able to put a biological weapon in an airplane witho
Re: (Score:2)
We used to call it "security theater" (Score:3)
Now it's turned into more of a security Ring Cycle.
Don't leave your guns at home, check them. (Score:2)
I don't know why they would tell you to leave your guns at home. If you do that, you won't have any guns where you are flying to. You should instead check them in baggage.
They even have a webpage for it: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/tra... [tsa.gov]
Note if you have an expensive and/or fragile scope, you can carry that through the checkpoints as per normal.
What a shame (Score:2)
Hopefully this highlights why we need to implement "No Laptop Left Behind"
Comment removed (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Also: do they know where the idiots in Brussels exploded? It was before any check in the check-in area.
Well, obviously, we need a pre-check-in security checkpoint.
Re: (Score:3)
And then, we will need a pre-pre-checkin security checkpoint. And then we'll need a .....
Re: (Score:2)
...turtle?
Very clever, Mr Coward, but it's pre-checks all the way down.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Instead of many lives and an airplane, it's many lives and reconstruction costs. How exactly is that any better?
70 Laptops (Score:2)
That's 70 after they've done their shopping. There were really 78 left behind that month but the agents were busy upgrading their MacBooks. In six months or so after the hype has gone down then they will start upgrading their MacBook Pros.
not the problem (Score:2)
problem is that the dumbshit TSA can pick out a bottle of shampoo 0.5 ounces too large in a weeks worth of luggage, but cant tell what a laptop is in a bag by iteself
But, but, but ... (Score:3)
They're reporting they found 33 loaded firearms in carry-on luggage in one week, and remind readers that gun-carrying passengers "can face a penalty as high as $11,000. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home."
And, seriously, how hard is to remember to unload your weapon before packing it?
From: Transporting Firearms and Ammunition [tsa.gov]
Firearms
Ammunition
Re: (Score:2)
And, seriously, how hard is to remember to unload your weapon before packing it?
Actually the rest of the world wants to know why you fly with a gun in the first place.
Re: (Score:2)
And, seriously, how hard is to remember to unload your weapon before packing it?
Actually the rest of the world wants to know why you fly with a gun in the first place.
I was wondering that myself (I don't own a gun), but then realized that there are some valid reasons - you're a LEO, or going: hunting, to a gun convention, etc... But if it's because you think you're going to get mugged at Disney World, then no.
Re: (Score:2)
IQ and attention to detail are different things. (Score:2)
"How hard is to remember to unload your weapon before packing it?" I guess there's no I.Q. check for firearms purchases, maybe there should be.
IQ and attention to detail are different things.
Also: Even the best-trained, most reliable, gun user can have a lapse when in a hurry, as in when packing for a flight.
That's why firearms training stresses redundancy, with rules like "A gun is loaded as soon as you put it down and look away". Or "Don't point (even an "unloaded") gun at anything you don't want to des
Re: (Score:2)
Personally I hope they donate most to nonprofits (Score:2)
...but if they sell them, http://www.eyeflare.com/articl... [eyeflare.com]
Where to buy TSA confiscated items for sale:
US state Website address
Alabama www.adeca.alabama.gov
Alaska www.publicsurplus.com/
Arizona www.azdoa.gov/agencies/msd/surplus_property/public_auctions.asp
Arkansas www.arstatesurplus.com
California http://www.dgs.ca.gov/ofam/hom... [ca.gov]
Colorado www.cijvp.com
Connecticut das.ct.gov
Delaware www.state.de.us/dss/surplus/index.shtml
District of Columbia app.ocp.dc.gov/RUI/information/ppd/ppd
Re: (Score:2)
Leaving laptop at checkpoint (Score:2)
Got this once, got my laptop back (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Why wasn't your laptop switched off?
Let's be honest....what's really happening (Score:2)
1. I wager almost all the firearms, largely belong to law enforcement, national security, and other professionals who routinely carry as part of their job.
2. Bet many of the laptops were in fact in bins which got grabbed by other passengers, moved, had folks ask where my laptop is. Probably even filed missing item reports with the TSA. But were never returned their property, why.....that's a lot of free laptops for workers who have little motivation to be competent.
Happened to Me in Brisbane (Score:2)
I left my laptop at security.
Re: (Score:2)
I still have the note on my laptop to remind me how stupid I can be.
Or to illustrate what a pleasure it is to work with airport security in other countries....
70 laptops and 70 guns (Score:2)
I find it amazing that people have forgotten 70 laptops. That fact does make it a plausible excuse that the same amount of people could have forgotten they were carrying firearms when going through screening. I'm not saying its ok to forget you have a firearm in your possession, but to "face a penalty as high as $11,000" and a possible felony seems a little excessive. I'd like to see how many of those people are given a warning at sent home, and how many are arrested on the spot and convicted.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
So now you have 12 ounces of fluid in your stomach, which you could bring onto the plane? Seems like a deep security flaw.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You just have to put them in checked baggage. I don't know why the article tells you to leave them behind.
Re: (Score:2)
You *can* bring your gun, but it must be in checked luggage in a specially secured container to prevent theft (and obviously not loaded). Hardly an onerous requirement.
Re: (Score:2)
Except for the part where airline staff steal it because it's marked "FIREARM". I've got an uncle who had that happen twice to him.
Re: (Score:2)
If you want to enforce your "constitutional right" (disputed) to bear arms, and you want to travel, you're free to do it by any of the methods of travel that the constitution's writers understood - foot, horse, carriage (*). Have a nice day getting a refund
Re: (Score:2)
There's lots of things you can't legally do that aren't specifically forbidden in the Constitution. Congress has many powers, one of which is the ability to pass laws to do their Constitutional duties. The Constitution doesn't forbid you from not paying taxes. Congress does have the power to implement income taxes, and can and has passed laws saying you have to pay your taxes.
The Second doesn't apply, since there's no ban on traveling with a gun, only bringing into the cabin with you.
Re: (Score:2)
That means the system is working. Q.E.D.
Re: (Score:2)