Checkpoints and Borders Policy Debate - The "Scare Me" State: Franklin County, MO, adopted TSA procedures at Office Building

In the "If you don't like it, then you don't have to patronize your local government" file, we find this article by Missourian Staff Writer Evin Fritschle:

Missourian
Citizens Question County’s Use of Federal Guidelines
TSA Restricts Lighters, Snow Globes
Posted: Thursday, March 1, 2012 8:00 am
Updated: 2:26 pm, Wed Feb 29, 2012. (http://emissourian.com/news/top_stories/article_14aad85e-0f9d-54f5-a30a-4ded68b0bfb6.html)

A short quote:

[Franklin County, Missouri] Commissioners last week adopted an ordinance designed to prevent weapons, including firearms, from being brought into the government center.

The ordinance restricts weapons “which would not be permitted to be carried on a commercial air flight under rules promulgated” by the TSA.

The TSA has a lengthy list of prohibited items that can’t be carried on aircraft including box cutters, ice picks, knives, razor blades, swords, baseball bats, paintball guns, drills, saws, self-defense sprays, bleach, spray paint, gel shoe inserts, snow globes and more.

According to the county’s ordinance, those violating the ban can be denied entrance to or removed from the government center.

Employees violating the order can be disciplined, up to and including termination.

Let's hope they fix this before Christmas, before Franklin County becomes known as the Grinch that Fired Mommy because she brought a snowglobe to the office Christmas party.

Apparently, this started as an attempt to ban firearms from the building. An earlier article by the same writer:

Missourian:
County Bans Guns From Its Buildings
No Firearms, ‘Lethal Weapons’
Posted: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:00 am
Updated: 4:36 pm, Tue Feb 21, 2012. (http://www.emissourian.com/news/top_stories/article_db81141b-7628-5f24-8b27-c740c0e79fe8.html)

A short quote from that article:
[Regular commission meeting attendee Art LeBeau] said state statutes don’t cover lethal weapons, only firearms.

He said passing the order amounted to “an order of malfeasance,” or wrongdoing.

The commission order approved Tuesday restricts knives only to those that would be permitted “to be carried on a commercial air flight under the rules promulgated by the United States Transportation and Safety Administration.”

LeBeau said the county was in the wrong by referring to those rules, as “no one would know what would be forbidden.”

[Counselor Mark Vincent] said the TSA’s regulations are published and on file and that the commission was adopting the guidelines “by reference.”

^ to you, Mr. Art LeBeau!

So per the article, there are no checkpoints. They have just enacted a ban on weapons and other items they perceive as dangerous, but there is no enforcement. I'm not sure what the issue is here. Most government buildings around the country will not let you bring in weapons, for that matter.

So per the article, there are no checkpoints. They have just enacted a ban on weapons and other items they perceive as dangerous, but there is no enforcement. I'm not sure what the issue is here. Most government buildings around the country will not let you bring in weapons, for that matter.


As indicated by the OP, mommy can be fired for bringing in a snow globe. Is a snow globe a weapon?

I wonder if they allow bottled water, shampoo, and other equally dangerous items. Can someone be fired or ejected for bringing those in the building?

Banning firearms is one thing. Escalating the war on water is entirely different.

[Counselor Mark Vincent] said the TSA’s regulations are published and on file and that the commission was adopting the guidelines “by reference.”

oh, is the TSA publishing rules now? on file where? if caught with something in franklin county, can i just say the TSA website is out of date?

Here is the text of the ordinance (http://franklincountymo.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=&MeetingID=1064&MediaPosition=&ID=1277&CssClass=) from the Franklin County website. The relevant portion is:

WHEREAS, for the purposes of this Commission Order the term “lethal weapon” shall include any form or type of handgun, rifle, shotgun or other type of firearm; any type or form of explosive; or any form of knife or other weapon which would not be permitted to be carried on a commercial air flight under rules promulgated by the United States Transportation and Safety Administration.

Despite the dubious nature of having them choose TSA regs as part of their ordinance, they at least said "weapons" that would not be permitted by TSA, not "items". At the very least, it could be logically argued that this would not apply to some of the things the reporter mentioned, such as snow globes and gel shoe inserts. Of course, we are dealing with politicians, so logic is not necessarily a job requirement.

Of course, we are dealing with politicians, so logic is not necessarily a job requirement.
But the people who interpret laws are judges and there logic is a job requirement.

Despite the dubious nature of having them choose TSA regs as part of their ordinance, they at least said "weapons" that would not be permitted by TSA, not "items".

But "weapons" is precisely the reason why they won't let you take water through the checkpoint... Or snow globes... Or cupcakes... Because somehow those "items" could be transformed into "weapons."

"under rules promulgated by the United States Transportation and Safety Administration."

Thanks for posting that, RxFlyer.

Should we tell Franklin County, Missouri that there is no "United States Transportation and Safety Administration"?

I was called for jury duty in McKinney, Texas a few years ago, and the screening at the courthouse was much more rigorous (and rude) than at the airport. The problem for me was that I was not really prepared for that - and had no place to stash my stuff. I really didn't like having to take off my watch. But, I guess they don't want anybody shooting judges.