Can TSA officers carry guns on duty?

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Oct 11, 2012, 4:00 pm

#61

N965VJ

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Good Guy

I'm not sure where you get your information, but, the holster is made by Desantis. I've secured my weapon numerous times in the same manner as an FFDO and have never had a negligent discharge. To blame tho holster is the same as blaming a car for an accident. You have to account for human error.

Don't take my word for it, how about Michael Bane (short bio here):

Quote:

What's another thing we've learned from the last 30 years of practical pistol shooting and the revolution in civilian training about gun safety? An important thing is to minimize the Futz Factor, loosely defined as "Every time you handle the gun, it has the opportunity to go off; reduce the times you handle the loaded gun, and you reduce the opportunities for a negligent discharge."

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For pure safety reasons, we minimize handling a loaded gun, based on essentially a risk/reward equation. Should you practice draws with a loaded gun? Absolutely not, because you gain nothing over practicing draws with an empty gun and you increase the risk.

Given those parameters, what makes more sense for carrying a loaded gun in a car, something I do every day:

1) Should I have a separate storage area in the car so that every time I enter and exit the car, I take the gun out of my holster, secure it in the storage area, lock the storage area, then retrieve the gun and reholster it in the narrow confines of the car when I reenter?

2) Should I enter the car with the gun in my holster, and every time I exit the car I remove the holster from my belt, attach a locking device to the holster, secure the holster in a separate storage area, then retrieve the holster and thread it back onto my belt when I return to the vehicle?

3) Should I choose a holster that's comfortable, then leave the gun in its holster while I'm driving?

From a pure safety standpoint, only number 3 makes sense.

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Let's talk about that holster now. Why do we cover the trigger guard? To keep something hard from coming in contact with the trigger. What would we call a holster that has a hole cut in it to allow a person to place a hard object that can potentially come in contact with the trigger of a gun that has no additional manual safety? Unsafe...or more appropriately, stupid.

Very very stupid.

And what would you think if a requirement of your job was to constantly remove such a holster and then place the hard steel bar of a lock through the holster and trigger guard, then remove the lock and redeploy the holster when you came back? Personally, I'd be pretty worried — as a firearms professional, I'd find this system guaranteed to fail.

I like the FFDO program in theory, but the TSA's execution of it is very poor.

Oct 11, 2012, 6:27 pm

#62

Bearcat06

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Quote:

Originally Posted by catocony

Ok, but in both of those cases, they are acting in the capacity of a LEO.

Errr...not if its a regular NCO/Officer escorting a prisoner. And that does happen. MPs don't do a lot of that anymore. They leave it to the unit to get them from Point A to Point B after the trial. Now, if its a murder or very high profile case, the MPs will be involved.....but if its low end and they opted to be armed, its done....just a ton of paperwork and stuff btwn the Military/TSA/Airlines.

Quote:

Originally Posted by catocony

Readers on here need to understand that in 99.99% of the cases, military traveling, in uniform, have the same rights as us.

Correct.

Quote:

Originally Posted by catocony

But, again, Specialist Combat Jack can't tote an M240 on the plane with him when he travels commercially.

Correct.

And if they (the military) is using commercial leased aircraft, general public won't be flying on it.....and there will be weapons involed.