cordelli

From KMTR

Supposedly, he uses the ammo to catch fish in Guam.

One or two rounds maybe, but getting 500 rounds through is quite a feat.

warthog1984

Eh, not that surprising.

The effectiveness of TSA screening, including the opt-out patdowns is laughable.

The challenge of carrying 50-round boxes of .22LR through security is nil.

The TSA will likely not know or care what's in the wrapped pillbox/pez/thumbdrive/necklace sized cases, just that they give a consistent reading on the xray machine and therefore can't be dangerous.

trooper

OK.. so he shouldn't have had it and it shouldn't have gotten through screening... because the rules say you can't have ammo in carry on...

BUT.. what exactly is the big deal?

Ammunition is useless for any nefarious purpose absent the firearm chambered for it....

I suppose 500 rounds (even of 22 rimfire which this likely was) could be thrown at someone......

.. but it is not an "Explosive" in the sense most folks use the word.... if that is what some folks were worried about..(???)

InkUnderNails

A brick of ten boxes of 22 LR would hurt like hell if you dropped it on someone's toe. It would be difficult to grip and use as a blunt instrument without very large hands.

And you do not use ammo to catch fish. You use the ammo to kill or wound the fish which makes them easier to catch.

Houston.Business

Actually the firearm is the easiest to get through. A home made firearm doesn't have to resemble a firearm as most think. Gangs and other criminals have been cunstructing their own weapons for years, and some don't look a thing like the standard items. Check Google Images, and enter "Zipgun". And in the close quarters of an aircraft, accuracy is not necessary.

Ari

I imagine those things burn your hand pretty badly when you use them.

Houston.Business

Yeah - Most terriorists are worried about hurting themselves.

goalie

Bolding mine: Because the TSA screwed the pooch again

seaduck79

In the abstract, it wouldn't be hard for someone with ill intent to remove the powder from said ammo and use it in an explosive device. A few rounds wouldn't be enough to be a problem, but 500? I gotta think so. Ask any redneck or gun enthusiast who reloads.

jkhuggins

The big deal is that TSA says --- in other contexts --- that it's a big deal.

Look at the TSA Blog, and recent trend towards "TSA Week in Review" posts, which are largely long recitations of the number of weapons they confiscated --- whether or not the weapons actually constituted a clear and present danger to flight operations. If TSA is going to brag about such confiscations as a fulfillment of its mission, it needs to acknowledge missing items like this as a failure to fulfill its mission.

aBroadAbroad

The ammo isn't the "big deal" -- in fact, that's really not the point at all.

The big deal is the fact that it was missed in the first place. It's something they're supposed to detect, and frankly, it seems like it should be pretty darned easy to do so (at least when compared with a lot of the other things they're supposed to be catching).

TSA freaks out if something with the density of a laptop or a heavy book is in a carry-on bag, insisting that it obstructs their view of the other items in the bag. But something with the density of 500 rounds of ammo doesn't get anybody's attention?

If they can't find that much ammo, how on earth can anybody actually believe they'll find the "real" threats (explosives, weapons) they're ostensibly there to protect us from?

It's just more proof of the utterly inefficient and ineffective airport "security" in the USA.

(countdown... TSA apologists will appear in 10, 9, 8...)

InkUnderNails

We almost have to think that this is 500 rounds of .22 LR rim fire ammo. If not we really do have a problem.

One 50 round box is only 2.5" x 1.25" x 1" , or 3.125 cubic inches. 10 boxes would be 31.25 cubic inches. That is the same as a book 4" x 8" x 1" or a larger paperback. If bricked, the size would be 6.25" x 2.5" x 2". Separated, they would not be that difficult to put in such a way that it might take a very alert operator to see them. They should, but it might not be as easy as you think.

As for disassembly to get the propellant, it is almost impossible to take 22 rim fire cartridges apart and there is just a bit of powder in each one. This would not be a danger. It would be much easier to conceal a pound of Pyrodex, but there would be the ETD risk.

Now, if this is 500 rounds of just about any center fire cartridge, then that is very different.

warthog1984

According to the court docs (link crawl from the OP news story), it was individual 50 round boxes of .22LR, not bricked. Like in my first post, not tough to sneak in.

seanthepilot

But did he manage to get any water inside the secure area?

And most important, did he take off his shoes?

LMAO at the absurdity of this organization

They need to take the S out, and just call them: T A.

aBroadAbroad

And how well was he able to pronounce his name?