The TSA's Ridiculous -- And Meaningless -- Chortling About All The Guns They Steal From Passengers
Smart piece at Lew Rockwell by Becky Akers about something I've long understood -- that it is just ridiculous for the TSA to take the firearms of people who inadvertently bring them in their bag.
Or to prohibit guns on planes to begin with.
Before 9/11, before any of us gave much thought to Islam, we thought hijackers wanted a bag of money and a safe passage to a country that doesn't extradite. The day after 9/11, we all knew the score. Passengers would tackle any passenger who was trying to take over the plane.
And the cockpit doors are locked, anyway.
Akers writes:
Part of the government's propaganda on aviation is that guns are bad, even worse than they are on the ground. But not a shred of evidence confirms this, at least that I can find (and if any of you know of pertinent studies or stats, please alert me): it's simply more of the scorn politicians and bureaucrats hurl at the Second Amendment.Indeed, weapons would come in mighty handy were hijackers to attack a plane, especially since passengers are among the TSA's 20 vaunted "layers of protection"--though one it has stripped of every defense but our fingernails. (By the way, catch this brilliance from one of those disgusted "layers": "...I re-read Kippie's [Kip Hawley, formerly the TSA's Head Cheese] testimony.
It's now clear to me that Kippie included 'passengers' as Layer #20 in order to someday be able to blame us for an in-flight security failure. 'Unfortunately, Senator, Layer #20 failed yesterday, which is why the airplane got hijacked. All other 19 layers directly under my control performed perfectly.' I don't know about anyone else, but I don't remember either volunteering for for [sic] or being drafted into the TSA." Indeed!)
Alas, neither facts nor logic matter when Our Rulers or Their Lapdogs mount the soapbox against our guns. USAToday reliably wags its finger at all the "people [who] claim they just 'forgot' they had a firearm in their bag."
But it may want to scold another group that misplaces its guns far more often than we do: the thugs at the Department of Homeland Security. "DHS had over 188,000 firearms issued over eight component agencies..."; in 31 months, 165 of those went missing. That may amount "to less than one-tenth of a single percent"-but compare that average to passengers'. With something like 720 million "emplanements" every year, and the TSA's finding only 2654 guns in 2015, we score a mere .0000376%. (Yes, yes, I know: we must multiply to compensate for the 95% that eluded the TSA. But that still keeps us well under the DHS's level.)
I still say that concealed carry should be encouraged. 10% off your ticket, or something. Security problem solved, you can fire the entire TSA, and we will all save hours of time at the airport.
a_random_guy at February 4, 2016 11:41 PM
In case you want to look this up, you can scan the entirety of the jet airliner crash didn't evaluation Center, at http://jacdec.de.
Not one commercial airliner has ever been downed by small arms fire to the airframe. Considering that less than 10% of the aircraft weight is passengers, we should know that they are built very solidly. Your automobile does not have to endure flight stresses, and we think that those are strong.
Radwaste at February 5, 2016 4:20 AM
Grr. Crash *data*.
AutoCorrect made an entry upon hitting send…
Radwaste at February 5, 2016 4:22 AM
I'm with you, a_random_guy.
And I know this, Rad.
Amy Alkon at February 5, 2016 6:23 AM
Yeah, there are a lot of myths about airplane safety. No, a bullet hole through the fuselage will not depressurize the aircraft. In fact, the pressurization system would hardly notice it.
There's also the one were some people think four-engine planes are safer. In the entire history of jet-powered airliners, there has never been a case where two engines failed for independent causes on the same flight. (Common cause is another matter... but if you run out of fuel, it doesn't matter how many engines you have.)
Cousin Dave at February 5, 2016 6:54 AM
Not one commercial airliner has ever been downed by small arms fire to the airframe.
What yahoo would try that? Personally, I'd try to get one of the turbines to shed a blade or three.
THAT would do quite a bit of damage. But trying to do that from inside the airframe? golden BB.
I R A Darth Aggie at February 5, 2016 6:59 AM
Guns have become a lightening rod for the TSA and other government officials to get hysterical about.
They also get hysterical about magazines and small quantities of ammunition, which are less dangerous without the gun, than the proverbial set of car keys.
This is how they can claim they are *protecting you*. With absolutely no real risk to themselves or the plane....
Last time I flew out of Nashville there was a prominent sign up announcing a 400 dollar fine for loose ammunition in your checked baggage.
No such sign in Denver.
Security theatre.
Isab at February 5, 2016 7:20 AM
My dad loves to tell the tale about his flight home from Turkey (when his stint in the Air Force ended... 1969 I think). The first leg was on AF planes to Germany IIRC, but was commercial from there on out. He had his rifle with him that they would NOT let him check. Nor would they store it for him so he had to have it with him for the entire flights, between the seat and the side of the plane. In plain view. He also carried it openly between flights in the airports. As did anyone else with a rifle (I assume handguns fit in bags).
People weren't being gunned down left and right either. But what was completely normal just a few decades ago is seen as insane today by people that think guns are pure evil somehow.
Miguelitosd at February 5, 2016 9:21 AM
"I'd try to get one of the turbines to shed a blade or three."
Even that wouldn't be catastrophic to the aircraft, although it would do an effective job of stopping the engine. To create serious shrapnel, you have to get the wheel or hub to fail. From inside the aircraft, that would be a one-in-a-zillion shot. Way easier to just plant a bomb in the baggage.
Cousin Dave at February 5, 2016 10:49 AM
To clarify: reading through the link above (I used to have that kinda time), I found that not only had no one ever downed a commercial jetliner with small-arms fire, that included from outside the plane. Nobody's downed one below the heavy-machine-gun/SAM threshold.
Even the Korean Air 747 downed by Russian fighters didn't come apart in the air. Its pilots couldn't reach any level ground to land on. Impact with the ground killed them.
Ignorance continues to be the world's most effective weapon, leading in this case to profound misunderstanding about what guns do.
Radwaste at February 5, 2016 11:27 AM
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