cbn42

I don't think the government should provide them with firearms. However, they are in a concealed carry state that allows anyone to carry a gun in public by applying for a permit, then I don't see why TSA staff should not be able to apply for a concealed carry permit and use it in the landside area. For example, at ATL, anyone with a Georgia concealed carry permit can carry a gun in the terminal up until the checkpoint. If a random guy who came to drop off his friend can carry a gun, why can't a TSO?

bfxfd

No it would not. That law applies to the military. TSA screeners are not military. There are plenty of armed Federal LEOs that perform very similar duties to TSA i.e US Capitol Police. Posse Comitatus forbids the military from acting as a civilian police force.

exilencfc

Beacuse the random guy isn't responsible for the safety and security of anyone except himself. He isn't going to use his weapon on somebody because they are arguing with him. He doesn't have to safeguard his firearm whilst he checks through somebody's belongings.

Frankly the only thing more alarming than the TSA being openly armed (and trained appropriately) is the idea of TSOs carrying whatever weapons they can fit in a holster - and carrying them concealed into the secure area.

GUWonder

That (second paragraph becoming reality) would be unfortunate.

LAX already has one of the largest (if not the largest) armed police forces at an airport, of any airport in the country.

sonofzeus

Armed Feds can't enforce state laws.

DC isn't a state.

GUWonder

Armed federal LEOs do help enforce state laws. This comes up even with some CBP interactions involving state/local alcohol rules.

Mr. Vker

+4

cbn42

Normally, I am against arming people unless absolutely necessary. But given the gun situation in the US, where everyone and their moms can carry guns around wherever they want with minimal restrictions, I don't think it's fair to the TSA to place special restrictions on them. I don't consider the TSA to be a particularly trustworthy agency, but the same concealed carry standards that apply to everyone else should apply to them.

There are armed federal LEOs all over the country, not just in DC. They only enforce federal laws. Posse Comitatus prevents the military from acting as law enforcement, it does not preclude federal law enforcement.

GUWonder

Sounds more like you are for arming people even when not absolutely necessary.

Why should employers be forced to allow all employees to conceal carry while working on the employer's clock?

Hadrian35

More people have been killed or injured in the US in flight accidents this year. This is a non issue and arming those idiots would have caused more damage than it would have prevented.

exilencfc

As I said upthread - and for the same reasons as you - I don't have a problem with armed personnel securing airports, especially in a gun rich society such as the USA. There clearly is a risk of a mass shooting incident occurring, especially around security checkpoints which are a dense gathering of non-screened people.

However I don't think that TSOs are the people for the job. I don't think that anyone should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon into the secure area of the airport because, once inside, they could hand the weapon to somebody else for use in flight. This could, of course, happen with an un-concealed weapon but it is likely that somebody will notice that the person who should have the weapon doesn't.

Obviously there must be some exceptions, such as bodyguards for VIPs and FAMs, but these people are highly skilled and ruthlessly background checked. Unfortunately the TSA is notorious for inadvertantly employing criminals and I personally believe that there is strong potential for a terrorist attack to be carried out via a TSO carrying the weapon into the secure area and handing it to the perpetrator.

The other problem with allowing TSOs with concealed weapons permits to arm themselves is that few if any of them (realistically only former LEOs/military) have the skills to effectively engage an attacker without posing a risk to bystanders. You're also assuming that they have appropriate weapons and that these weapons are well maintained.

Finally any TSO with a weapon is vulnerable to having that weapon stolen by the person they are screening and used against them - admittedly more unlikely with a concealed weapon than with one openly carried on the hip or wherever. This means that the TSO will have to constantly safeguard the weapon which will distract them from their main task of screening.

To summarise I can certainly see a need for openly armed personnel at security checkpoints and other areas of the airport. But they need to be dedicated personnel who are extensively background checked, properly trained, appropriately armed and not involved in the screening process.

Himeno

No. The TSA shouldn't even exist.

chollie

At many airports, it will be a problem if you want to restrict the firearms to the landside area.

TSOs have posted in the past that it's impractical for them to be required to leave their cellphones in a break- or locker room because these facilities are often in the sterile area, too far away to conveniently access during a break.
You'll have the same issues if you try to exclude TSO firearms from the sterile area - there's no secure place (unless each airport builds it) landside to store the gun if an armed TSO wants to access facilities inside the secure area.

How many guns, even on licensed government workers, do you want to introduce into the sterile area?

cbn42

There is a difference between arming people and allowing people to carry guns on their own initiative. As I said, I don't think the TSA should provide firearms. However, I also don't think the TSA should ban their employees from carrying firearms if state law and airport policies allow it.

As I said, TSA staff should be held to the same standard as anyone else applying for a concealed weapon permit. If the state sees fit to issue permits to random people without a skills/safety test, then why not the TSA? Of course, my personal opinion is that concealed carry permit standards in most states are far too lax, and at a minimum, safety exams should be required for everyone. But if they are not, why should they be required for TSA?


Agreed, the logistics would have to be worked out. If any TSO were carrying a gun, he/she should not be permitted to enter the sterile area. Finding a place to leave it landside might be a hassle, but it's his/her choice whether it is worth it.

WindowSeat123

But don't you think they are already power mongers now? But yeah, as I said, getting them armed will probably make them worse than they already are...

True, you raised a good counter-point. Although one can argue those were isolated incidents that don't reflect the general trend of police enforcement.

But probably a bigger reason would be those with "god" mentality at the TSA would be made worse with guns...