Shucks, don’t you just hate it when you accidentally show up to the airport with your assault rifle and 163 rounds of ammunition? Happens to the best of us… or at least that’s what a lot of people seem to believe.
In this post:
New Orleans TSA officer stops assault rifle at security
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reports on an incident that happened last week at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). A passenger traveling to Houston tried to pass through the passenger screening checkpoint with an assault rifle and 163 rounds of ammunition.
Once this was spotted in the x-ray machine, a TSA officer immediately contacted a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputy who was assigned to the airport. The deputy took control of the Palmetto PA-15 Multi AR firearm loaded with 30 rounds of .300 caliber ammunition. Five further magazines were also loaded, bringing the total in the carry-on bag to 163 rounds.
The 52-year-old traveler from Jefferson, Louisiana, is now facing a civil penalty from the TSA that could include a fine of up to $15,000.
Here’s what TSA Federal Security Director Arden Hudson had to say about this incident:
“Threat detection is our mission and our dedicated workforce is protecting the traveling public every day. Passengers need to focus on what is inside their carry-ons before entering our checkpoint. The introduction of a loaded weapon poses an unnecessary risk to both the traveling public and our employees.”
How do you “forget” something like this in your bag?
Thousands of people “accidentally” showing up every year at airport security checkpoints with loaded guns is a uniquely American problem. In 2022, the TSA stopped around 6,600 firearms at security checkpoints around the country.
It’s bad enough if you “forgot” you had an unloaded gun in your bag, but honestly, how irresponsible do you have to be that you accidentally have an assault rifle with 163 rounds of ammunition in your carry-on? Like, was someone stopping at the shooting range on the way to the airport, and forgot that those pesky assault rifles aren’t allowed on planes, or…?
It also blows my mind that the worst punishment in situations like this is that you might face a civil penalty, with no real consequences beyond that.
I also can’t help but wonder if this situation might play out a bit differently if the traveler showing up with 163 rounds of ammunition were of Middle Eastern descent and speaking Arabic. Something tells me it might not be labeled as an honest mistake by quite as many people…
Bottom line
Last week, a man tried to clear security at New Orleans Airport with an assault rifle that had 163 rounds of ammunition. It’s beyond comprehension to me how someone could do this by accident. Now this person is facing at most a $15,000 civil penalty, and nothing beyond that.
What’s your take on the TSA stopping this assault rifle?
Why would united airlines want an a350? they have the 787.
Everyone found in possession of a firearm in whole or disassembled at a TSA checkpoint should immediately be placed in handcuffs, led visibley away to be "interrogated"
And after days of political trash talks from both sides, still no gun enthusiast?
Does anyone notice the weapon setup seems odd?
I don't understand why this is only a civil penalty. If this rifle had been involved in a mass shooting what would've happened then.
I can answer that, nothing except the person would be killed or arrested. How many children have to die in mass shootings until we pass realistic gun control.
Americans love there guns.
Time to increase the penalties for trying to carry any unapproved weapons, guns, loaded or unloaded, or ammunition in carry-on bags. Penalties should range from a minimum of 1 yr in prison and a $20,000 fine, to 10 yrs in prison a $250,000 fine, and banned from traveling on any airline, train, or bus in the entire world for no less than 5 yrs and as much as permanently. Saying you forgot is totally unacceptable...
Time to increase the penalties for trying to carry any unapproved weapons, guns, loaded or unloaded, or ammunition in carry-on bags. Penalties should range from a minimum of 1 yr in prison and a $20,000 fine, to 10 yrs in prison a $250,000 fine, and banned from traveling on any airline, train, or bus in the entire world for no less than 5 yrs and as much as permanently. Saying you forgot is totally unacceptable for an adult to say. When you pack, always start with an empty suitcase, so you never have to kiss your loved ones good-bye as you're carted off to prison. And don't forget to check your kids bags as well.
Love that opening Ben - hilarious!
Ben,
Your opening statement to this article was very funny!!
Penalty of $15 000?? More like $150 000 AND a ban on air travel for 5 years!!
The person is clearly a nut-case.....
Agree on all counts!
In 2022 the TSA intercepted 6542 guns at security. Last month 3 at DCA and the numbers are increasing.
What’s the passengers’ excuse ? We didn’t know ?
It’s absolutely intentional in a country full of right wing nut jobs.
The main threat Americans have to fear is themselves. Of course there are millions of intelligent ones, however it is significantly worse since Trump was president and he and his cult encourage it.
I don't know about the intentionality. I don't know what the passengers' excuses are. The possibilities are endless, and I am loathe to speculate. Instead I am going to move to the latter part of your claim which is that the USA is full of right wing nut jobs. That is absolutely true.
I don't know about the intentionality. I don't know what the passengers' excuses are. The possibilities are endless, and I am loathe to speculate. Instead I am going to move to the latter part of your claim which is that the USA is full of right wing nut jobs. That is absolutely true.
This is also true, but I also blame extremist leftists who push normal people to the right.
Guns are bad
So are trolls.
Lee rhymes with pee. Urine.
Guns are neither good nor bad. It's the people operating them that make the difference.
Are cars bad then?
I was once in a line at TSA in DFW. The line was being delayed because an older passenger was trying to go through TSA with his rifle. This was 2006, but my goodness, what planet have you been living on that you didn't know that was going to be an issue.
I was in a TSA line at MDW where the guy behind me said he was taking his first flight in 20 years. He was barely 40 years old.
When checking in online or in person, people must affirm that they understand that firearms and ammunition (among other things) are prohibited. And, even if this guy had absolutely no prior knowledge that one cannot bring firearms or ammunition on a plane, the guy can read. At the entrance to any TSA security checkpoint, there is a sign that lists prohibited items. At the top of that list are firearms and ammunition. The validity of...
When checking in online or in person, people must affirm that they understand that firearms and ammunition (among other things) are prohibited. And, even if this guy had absolutely no prior knowledge that one cannot bring firearms or ammunition on a plane, the guy can read. At the entrance to any TSA security checkpoint, there is a sign that lists prohibited items. At the top of that list are firearms and ammunition. The validity of such prohibitions is well-settled in the law. This is not a Second Amendment issue.
Yeah this is one of those lengthy T&C-like screens where people just click Accept/Agree/Next without giving it a second's thought. Before you say "that's no excuse," consider that nobody cares. If you want something to actually matter you have to get informed consent.
Troll . . . or should I say Alan or Jackson or . . . ? The sign at the entrance of the TSA checkpoint states it in pictures and a few words that even you can understand. "Prohibited Items: Firearms and Ammunition" along with a picture of a gun. What don't you get?
People do not read signs when there are a gazillion of them and most of them are completely irrelevant to one's situation.
I've never met a first-name Lee who had any semblance of intellect, by the way.
“I also can’t help but wonder if this situation might play out a bit differently if the traveler….were of Middle Eastern descent and speaking Arabic.”
How do you know they weren’t Ben? Your racism hypotheticals could be applied to many of your stories and don’t add value.
Also, fun fact - it was the second gun of the day at MSY. Penalty should be gun seized, no gun list 5 years, no fly list 1 year. Psych and background evaluation before either are reinstated.
The reason you know he was white is simple: if he wasn’t it would have been reported. Your whiteness is getting in your way.
Ray is exactly right. Not your best work, Sel.
Uhh I'm going to stick up for Sel here.
This is one of those Twitteresque extremist zingers that sound good in 280 characters but doesn't make any sense and is completely logically fallacious.
We don't know the race of the traveler in question, full stop.
"We don't know the race of the traveler in question, full stop."
But we *DO* know the ways of America... and there's no way in unholy hell that this dude was Arabic, with that kind of weaponry, stopped at an airport, and it wouldn't have been the top story for two weeks on FoxNews, NewsMax, DailyWire, and every other exploitative rag in between.
GTFOH with that kind of gaslighting.
Agree his gun should be confiscated except he'd only be out the money for the gun. In my state, and many others there's no license needed. In fact I can conceal carry if I want (and owned a gun).
We know people don't "forget" the gun is there.
Proud Boys coming in 3 2 1……
Sad life you must live.
I don’t get the penalty either. Why on earth is this not a felony offense?
Do any of us look like knowledgable lawyers? (No, because if we were, we would not be spending time on this comment section)
Why is the assumption that this was just an innocent packing mistake? The fine is way too light. This guy needs five years on the DNF list to make sure that an assault weapon doesn’t “accidentally” get packed in his carryon bag on future flights.
Five years in prison would guarantee that, too.
lol. Accidentally placed a machine gun in his cabin bag. Could have avoided a terrorist incident.
Not a machine gun. Keep your worthless prejudice and lack of knowledge to yourself.
I'm scratching my head as well
By Ben's logic, if we all have Clear then no one has Clear, and if we can all be Delta Diamonds then none of us are Diamond, so if we all have guns then no one has a gun. Problem solved.
Cue the comments that miss the sarcasm.
Heh, turns out you got no replies. Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.
Well first off if you're dumb enough to show up at a sensitive place such as an airport and try to clear security with an AR and a couple hundred rounds ammo You're an idiot. So you deserve the fine hopefully you'll learn something from it. Maybe even a little jail time for added incentive. But those of you that think that you don't have a right to keep and bear arms you're wrong. I...
Well first off if you're dumb enough to show up at a sensitive place such as an airport and try to clear security with an AR and a couple hundred rounds ammo You're an idiot. So you deserve the fine hopefully you'll learn something from it. Maybe even a little jail time for added incentive. But those of you that think that you don't have a right to keep and bear arms you're wrong. I would suggest you read Heller and then follow up with a later court decisions. And by the way there is no other amendment in the Constitution that uses the words shall not be infringed.
You have no right to bears arms in my living room. Airports are private places that can regulate what happens there.
In the US, almost every airport is a public facility. They are not owned by private entities.
No other amendment has a qualifier of well regulated militia, either.
@bhcompy
"No other amendment has a qualifier of well regulated militia, either."
There is not qualifier. The militia clause explains why the population should be armed but does not set forth a qualifier.
I knew my masters degree in taxidermy was useless.
Well, this turned into the absolute shitshow that I would have expected.
Please don't use such profane language on this family friendly travel site.
There is no such thing as an “assault weapon “ the term AR stands for Automatic Rifle. We’re dealing with a very low IQ person here. Maybe senile. Maybe a criminal. But Most people are responsible gun owners so this is rare .
^^^^^
Another gun nut who wants to play vocabulary games to distract from this country's sick obsession with guns
@Ben L.
So just leave it to the police and criminals right ? Law abiding citizens should not be allowed to have guns.
Another classic gun nut tactic: pretending that anyone who thinks this country has too many guns must obviously think that all guns must be banned.
Spoken like a true anti-gun nut trying to use made up vocabulary words to vilify inanimate objects with scary cosmetic features.
Ben L I kind of think you're closed minded and likely racist. Just because someone likes guns doesn't make them a gun nut. The owner made a bad mistake. It could have been an honest mistake.
Actually you're wrong as well. AR stands for Armalite rifle, the original manufacturer of weapons of this type.
An assault weapon per britanica requires the ability to switch from semi to automatic fire, so this would not be one of those either.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/assault-rifle
“AR” is an abbreviation of ArmaLite, recognized as the first manufacturer to produce this style of rifle.
In a civilised society you don’t need a gun. If you are not military or police and own one, you’re irresponsible.
People who believe they need to carry a gun around to go shopping are lunatics.
What kind of person believes in freedom to carry a gun but no free medical care ?
@Icarus
"In a civilised society you don’t need a gun. If you are not military or police and own one, you’re irresponsible."
Pray tell, what is the response time of these agents of the state to emergencies and how many times do they response before something bad has happened.
Ensuring your safety to the police puts you behind the power curve.
"People who believe they need to carry a gun around to...
@Icarus
"In a civilised society you don’t need a gun. If you are not military or police and own one, you’re irresponsible."
Pray tell, what is the response time of these agents of the state to emergencies and how many times do they response before something bad has happened.
Ensuring your safety to the police puts you behind the power curve.
"People who believe they need to carry a gun around to go shopping are lunatics."
Yes, you believe its rational to have a phone where you can call people that are armed to response nearly always AFTER someone has been harmed.
"What kind of person believes in freedom to carry a gun but no free medical care ?"
You mean tax payer funded medical care?
Correct, it is taxpayer funded. Here in Australia, for instance, the poorest citizen can have their agonisingly painful hip joint replaced, or their sciatic nerve decompressed, or have a baby in a safely monitored environment, without having to impoverish themselves or declare bankruptcy.
Australian taxpayers accept this burden because it’s a civic responsibility. Our Medicare system is very, very, very popular with voters, and it’s political suicide for any government that threatens it.
And...
Correct, it is taxpayer funded. Here in Australia, for instance, the poorest citizen can have their agonisingly painful hip joint replaced, or their sciatic nerve decompressed, or have a baby in a safely monitored environment, without having to impoverish themselves or declare bankruptcy.
Australian taxpayers accept this burden because it’s a civic responsibility. Our Medicare system is very, very, very popular with voters, and it’s political suicide for any government that threatens it.
And for the record, Australians also don’t think there is any reason why a private citizen should be walking around with a Glock 43 on their hip like they’re Wyatt Earp on the western frontier, llet alone own a military-grade assault rifle. Why on earth would anyone private citizen need to own a weapon like that? It’s just madness.
Because its our rights. For the record I find Australian tourists to be etreremely rude loud and arrogant. This behavior is madness
Evidently you haven't been to or live in Atlanta, Ga.
Some of us can call 911 and have a platoon strength police response in minutes, others aren't lucky. I live in a very safe city and police response is in minutes. However alot can happen in minutes.
I don't generally agree with the NRA, but I do agree with them on the fact that you're wrong
https://www.nraila.org/get-the-facts/assault-weapons-large-magazines/
The person's internet moniker? D3kingg.
It stands for ArmaLite Rifle, after a company that invented the basic design, but is now widely copied and labeled “AR” by many other manufacturers and models.
I came here just to see a reference to Texas, and I was not disappointed!
Midwest = flyover country you should be ashamed of living in. Go do something with your life and move out to the coast.
Only in America would someone think it acceptable to carry a machine gun around, let alone at at airport. Why ? Full of nut jobs
While I'm kind of surprised to see someone take such a large firearm through the checkpoint, point in fact it is not a "machine gun" as there's no indication it is capable of automatic fire. Also until the middle of last month it was legally classified as a pistol.
Gun nuts love to play vocabulary games to distract from the fact that this country is saturated with deadly weapons owned by people with itchy trigger fingers.
That type of reply only means there will never be any kind of productive debate about reducing the number of people injured or killed by firearms.
If we can't define the problem with accurate language then it's guaranteed we'll never be able to solve for it in a way that both sides can agree on. The same as calling someone who seeks to provide a correction a "gun nut".
I think a "productive debate" would center around the question, "Are there way too many guns and are they way too easy to get ahold of?" It's not very productive to get into the nitty-gritty of firearm classifications when a significant minority of Americans and a much larger proportion of their legislators think the answer to the question is "No, we need even more guns flooding our communities!"
It’s not really a vocabulary game - actual full-automatic weapons, which many people call “machine guns”, are quite heavily regulated in the US and difficult to buy or sell. The gun pictured is not a machine gun, but rather a semi-automatic rifle. They look similar, but semi-automatics are much easier to buy and can be legally traded and sold on the private market. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still quite deadly and dangerous and carrying...
It’s not really a vocabulary game - actual full-automatic weapons, which many people call “machine guns”, are quite heavily regulated in the US and difficult to buy or sell. The gun pictured is not a machine gun, but rather a semi-automatic rifle. They look similar, but semi-automatics are much easier to buy and can be legally traded and sold on the private market. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still quite deadly and dangerous and carrying one into an airport is insanity. But the terminology and type *is* important, since regulations and current federal laws treat automatic weapons VERY differently than semi-autos.
And if the goal (as I think it should be!) is to properly regulate and strictly control guns, it’s worth being clear about the basic differences.
Semantics. Tomato / tomato. It’s a gun. They kill people.
What’s it for ? Performing in an orchestra ?
That is not a machine gun. It is also not an assault rifle. Keep your prejudices to yourself.
That's the point. Different countries, different cultures.
I don't have a problem with gun ownership, but the punishment for this negligence should be losing any and all permits and licenses as well as being flagged from future purchases.
@pstm91 - this is the most logical response of them all. 100% agree.
Given the size of this weapon, it's definitely gross negligence, but should the TSA apply the same logic to any other device that is legal to possess but not legal to pass through the checkpoint?
It’s a bit easier to cause harm with a loaded gun than with a full water bottle . There’s definitely room for nuance here.
I was thinking more along the lines of a knife, something I used to do quite frequently.
I agree there's room for nuance which is why there is no fine for a knife (as long as it isn't a switchblade or gravity knife) and up to $15,000 for a loaded firearm (which is only if it was a repeat violation).
I do agree that if this person is a repeat offender then a further restriction on their right to own firearms could be justified.
“…should the TSA apply the same logic to any other device that is legal to possess but not legal to pass through the checkpoint?“
Who cares? This isn’t about false equivalence, it's about a gun on a plane.
Cute try, though!
"It's about a gun on a plane" is false equivalence by itself.
Someone accidently carrying a firearm on the plane is not the same as someone trying to smuggle a weapon past TSA to execute an attack.
Why would you want to punish them in the same way?
Because owning a gun requires extreme diligence and responsibility. If you're forgetting you have a freaking firearm on you or in your bags, you have demonstrated that you cannot own one responsibly. If you bring one through TSA, either intentionally or not, you should lose your right to own one. This is coming from a gun owner, fyi.
"Extreme" meaning by definition that most people don't qualify?
Either way I agree, no person should own guns
"SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED"
Not "shall not be infringed except for TSA searches".
Not "shall not be infringed except for on board aircraft".
As long as the Second Amendment remains in place, the TSA has no legitimate right to strip We The People of our God given right to bear arms.
That's complete horseshit and you know it. You think going into a courthouse or sports arena with a gun in your bag, will only produce a fine?
You 2nd amendment absolutists should try using your brains a bit more. You idiots always forget to mention the first part of the damn phrase.
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear...
That's complete horseshit and you know it. You think going into a courthouse or sports arena with a gun in your bag, will only produce a fine?
You 2nd amendment absolutists should try using your brains a bit more. You idiots always forget to mention the first part of the damn phrase.
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Are you a regulated militia...or does that not exist any more now that we have an Army?
“Well regulated” in the 1700’s meant well well-running, and militia meant a military of the citizens. So you are wrong. The first lines translates to a well-ran military of the people.
Language evolves over time, this has been vetted by court after court and backup writings of the time. So next time do your homework before calling people idiots.
No court or governing body ever thought there was an individual right to gun ownership until the Supreme Court invented one in 2008 with DC v. Heller. That decision was a radical departure from past jurisprudence that almost certainly ran counter to the scope of the 2nd Amendment as envisioned by the founders.
@chasgoose is correct that an activist SCOTUS invented the individual right to gun ownership in D.C. v. Heller. Further judicial activists are expanding the right at a terrifying pace, despite Scalia writing in Heller:
"Although we do not undertake an exhaustive historical analysis today of the full scope of the Second Amendment, nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally...
@chasgoose is correct that an activist SCOTUS invented the individual right to gun ownership in D.C. v. Heller. Further judicial activists are expanding the right at a terrifying pace, despite Scalia writing in Heller:
"Although we do not undertake an exhaustive historical analysis today of the full scope of the Second Amendment, nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms."
The current Fifth Circuit treats that passage like toilet paper.
"No court or governing body ever thought there was an individual right to gun ownership until the Supreme Court invented one in 2008 with DC v. Heller."
Funny, until Obergefell v. Hodges the Constitutional right to gay marriage was not the law of the law. In fact, until Lawrence v. Texas, same-sex encounters were illegal in some states with such acts found having no legal protection in the now overturned Bowers v. Hardwick.
..."No court or governing body ever thought there was an individual right to gun ownership until the Supreme Court invented one in 2008 with DC v. Heller."
Funny, until Obergefell v. Hodges the Constitutional right to gay marriage was not the law of the law. In fact, until Lawrence v. Texas, same-sex encounters were illegal in some states with such acts found having no legal protection in the now overturned Bowers v. Hardwick.
Personally, unless one wants to reverse Obergefell I would hold mu tongue on what or what not was historical precedent.
I’ve been seeing this opinion all over twitter the past week including by the great mind of David Hogg. If our country is to survive when need an educated public. Please educate yourself and pickup the Federalist Papers and read it yourself. The right of individual gun ownership goes back to 1789. It’s as clear as day
@SeattleR:
Can you explain how a civilian carrying an assault rifle has anything to do with a well-running military of the people when the military itself strictly regulates the use of such weapons.
Read the Militia act of 1792 and the various amendments. This is still law in the US.
You people are insane
TRY AGAIN . Your rights ? No - you don’t get to travel with a weapon like that and get away with that.
Another nut job alluding to god and guns.
The constitution was written over 200 years ago when there were 13 states and fewer than 3 million people and the right to bear arms is an outdated and ridiculous notion. People who support it would also support arcane laws used in many countries who still use stoning.
@Icarus
"The constitution was written over 200 years ago when there were 13 states and fewer than 3 million people and the right to bear arms is an outdated"
The Constitution has provisions in it to keep it updated, they are called amendments.
"People who support it would also support arcane laws used in many countries who still use stoning."
Sure, as with Women suffrage, the voting age being 18, and the abolishment...
@Icarus
"The constitution was written over 200 years ago when there were 13 states and fewer than 3 million people and the right to bear arms is an outdated"
The Constitution has provisions in it to keep it updated, they are called amendments.
"People who support it would also support arcane laws used in many countries who still use stoning."
Sure, as with Women suffrage, the voting age being 18, and the abolishment of slavery the US passed amendments to our Constitution to set / keep up with societal trends. Wanna change the Constitution?
Pass an amendment.
The RNC doesnt allow guns at its conventions, nor does Capital Hill allow guns carried into congress, nor does the Secret Service allow guns near the president (Biden, Trump, et al). Good luck with your infringement lawsuits against Ronna McDaniel and Kevin Mccarthy.
False. The RNC abides by local venue regulations. Which as a private location may have limitations.
Repeal that shit!
Any other enumerated civil rights that you'd like to repeal? 1st Amendment? How about our 4th and 5th Amendment rights? Lose the 2A and you've sealed the doom of all the others.
"Lose the 2A and you've sealed the doom of all the others."
Yeah right. Like you and a cadre of your best drinkin' buddies could do jack shit against a unified US military gone rogue.
It's funny, essentially no other Western nor Developed country has such a governing position, yet have the equivalent (or even greater) freedoms and privileges......
......in fact, the only the one that DOES, now has first graders taking guns...
"Lose the 2A and you've sealed the doom of all the others."
Yeah right. Like you and a cadre of your best drinkin' buddies could do jack shit against a unified US military gone rogue.
It's funny, essentially no other Western nor Developed country has such a governing position, yet have the equivalent (or even greater) freedoms and privileges......
......in fact, the only the one that DOES, now has first graders taking guns to class to cap their teacher. True envy of the world right there!
TSA only has authority on regular airlines. They can't say squat about flying privately.