How will TSA respond to FLL baggage claim shooting?
Jan 11, 2017, 8:37 am
#106
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Before accusing others of being "foolishly pedantic" perhaps you should just agree to disagree and move on.
We all know that a handgun, rifle, shotgun, or what have you is not particularly dangerous (except as a club) unless loaded but who isn't going to think a weapon isn't loaded if it is pointed at a persons head? I don't think I would take that chance.
I think we all know that the concept of a locked container is to make it a bit more difficult to access that weapon but we also know that no scheme is foolproof. As we saw in the FLL incident a properly transported weapon can rapidly become a very dangerous weapon in the hands of an actor with bad intentions.
Let's face it, a gun is meant to fire a projectile at deadly velocities. That is the only purpose they serve. Millions of people own and carry a weapon on a daily basis without incident. I'm not sure there is a way to prevent each and every person with bad intentions from doing harm to others.
Sadly no one in that terminal was packing or if they were didn't react to the situation..
We all know that a handgun, rifle, shotgun, or what have you is not particularly dangerous (except as a club) unless loaded but who isn't going to think a weapon isn't loaded if it is pointed at a persons head? I don't think I would take that chance.
I think we all know that the concept of a locked container is to make it a bit more difficult to access that weapon but we also know that no scheme is foolproof. As we saw in the FLL incident a properly transported weapon can rapidly become a very dangerous weapon in the hands of an actor with bad intentions.
Let's face it, a gun is meant to fire a projectile at deadly velocities. That is the only purpose they serve. Millions of people own and carry a weapon on a daily basis without incident. I'm not sure there is a way to prevent each and every person with bad intentions from doing harm to others.
Sadly no one in that terminal was packing or if they were didn't react to the situation..
Jan 11, 2017, 3:09 pm
#108
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Theft is more of a governmental concern the more dangerous the item that may be stolen. The government doesn't worry about a whole bunch of checked-in screwdrivers and wrenches being stolen and used by the recipients of stolen property as much as it worries about a whole bunch of guns getting stolen and used by recipients of stolen property. It has to do with what is considered more dangerous and more lucrative in illicit trading.
If a nuclear warhead in a plane hold gets stolen, the government is going to have more concerns about that than if a small handgun, screwdriver or wrench in a plane hold gets stolen. Not all weapons and potential dual-use items are equally dangerous with all other weapons and potential dual-use items.
If a nuclear warhead in a plane hold gets stolen, the government is going to have more concerns about that than if a small handgun, screwdriver or wrench in a plane hold gets stolen. Not all weapons and potential dual-use items are equally dangerous with all other weapons and potential dual-use items.
Jan 11, 2017, 4:04 pm
#110
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The classic TSA response would be to want to grope more passengers more extensively than before. That and to see what kind of heat they may be packing around the loins. Fortunately, this seems to be one of those times when the TSA won't try to ramp up its dog and pony show.
Jan 12, 2017, 4:32 am
#112
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Jan 12, 2017, 5:00 am
#113
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Jan 12, 2017, 6:41 am
#114
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DHS's "response"?:
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2017/01/11/...rport-security
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2017/01/11/...rport-security
SA Administrator Pete Neffenger and I call for Airport Operation Centers at the nation’s busiest airports.
Jan 12, 2017, 7:40 am
#115
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I think everyone has recognized that a "gun" without ammo is not much of a threat. I think we all understand that the transport of a "gun" in a locked case is permitted. That the locked case doesn't really change the condition of the "gun" other than a slight decrease in potential ease of theft. And that none of this really makes a hoot in a hand basket on what happened at FLL.
What am I missing?
Jan 12, 2017, 7:47 am
#116
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Jan 12, 2017, 8:13 am
#117
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If airport police departments don't have a system in place to deal with active shooter incidents, real or imagined, then the police need to be better managed. More TSA and other DHS employees at airports is neither a pretty nor inexpensive solution to incidents that can happen even at school sporting events.
Last edited by GUWonder; Jan 12, 2017 at 8:21 am
Jan 12, 2017, 10:12 am
#118
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It would expand the options for promotion-as-reward for favorite employees.
In most jobs, if you max out on the skills ladder, you max out. End of story. If you want more, you move to a new organization with greater growth opportunities. TSA wants to create high-pay/do-nothing jobs as a career path.
Jan 12, 2017, 11:28 am
#119
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It would be a safe haven for the BDOs that some have suggested might be be more useful if they were actually put to work doing something, like checking IDs or stacking tubs.
It would expand the options for promotion-as-reward for favorite employees.
In most jobs, if you max out on the skills ladder, you max out. End of story. If you want more, you move to a new organization with greater growth opportunities. TSA wants to create high-pay/do-nothing jobs as a career path.
It would expand the options for promotion-as-reward for favorite employees.
In most jobs, if you max out on the skills ladder, you max out. End of story. If you want more, you move to a new organization with greater growth opportunities. TSA wants to create high-pay/do-nothing jobs as a career path.
Isn't that what TSA is already doing? The pay for the required jobs skills is excellent and it only goes up with each passing year.
Jan 14, 2017, 5:50 pm
#120
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Unfortunately, TSA invites exactly this criticism.
Consider:
TSA seems to be doing everything in its power to convey the idea that TSOs are not merely "civilians". It seems a bit odd, then, for an employee of TSA to say "well, we're just civilians and shouldn't be expected to act any differently during an emergency."
(And just to clarify: this is a criticism of TSA, not of you. Your agency has established an unreasonable image for you that you cannot possibly live up to. The fault is theirs, not yours.)
Consider:
- TSA requires its front-line employees to dress in uniforms that convey every aspect of LEO training, such as blue shirts, shield badges, and shoulder boards.
- TSA --- literally --- parades TSA employees at ceremonial occasions bearing firearms.
- TSA officials and politicians use militaristic rhetoric to defend their functions (e.g. "TSOs are often the first line of defense").
- TSA uses the term "officer" to refer to its front-line employees.
TSA seems to be doing everything in its power to convey the idea that TSOs are not merely "civilians". It seems a bit odd, then, for an employee of TSA to say "well, we're just civilians and shouldn't be expected to act any differently during an emergency."
(And just to clarify: this is a criticism of TSA, not of you. Your agency has established an unreasonable image for you that you cannot possibly live up to. The fault is theirs, not yours.)
I will neither agree nor disagree with you about the imaging of our organization - I will simply say there are aspects I agree with, and some I do not. Maybe in the wake of something like this, our upper echelon will examine some of their branding, some of their structure and make changes to benefit the passengers, as well as the employees. OTOH, maybe not?