Military with Weapons on Commercial Flight?...TSA humor!
Oct 19, 2010, 5:40 pm
#1
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Military with Weapons on Commercial Flight?...TSA humor!
A friend recently deployed to Afghanistan. He said a commercial airliner picked them up at their base and flew them to Maine to meet a military charter. Here's the interesting part.....he said they all carried their M-16s (and I presume other weapons such as knives and bayonets) on the commercial flight. I thought perhaps they then changed planes at Bangor (?) but didn't go into a secure area. Still seems strange to me. I was rather skeptical until I read the following on a travel blog (Chris Elliott's column):
"My husband tells the funniest airline security story I have heard. When he was flying to Iraq the first time with the military his unit took a smaller regional plane to get to Dallas for the military chartered plane. Each of them was fully armed with M-16s, some with pistols, a couple with machine guns etc and they were all carrying pocket knives and larger tactical knives as well as bayonets. As they were loading the plane there was a woman standing on the jet way with a small plastic bag. She announced that they all needed to drop their lighters in the bag and lighters were a potential terrorist item. Needless to say they all looked at each other with their myriad of real weapons and (without dropping lighters) laughed and got on the plane. My husband said they laughed the entire 17 hours of flight over this.[/I]
Has anyone else heard of or seen this? Wonder how they handle this with TSA? Story above is hilarious!
"My husband tells the funniest airline security story I have heard. When he was flying to Iraq the first time with the military his unit took a smaller regional plane to get to Dallas for the military chartered plane. Each of them was fully armed with M-16s, some with pistols, a couple with machine guns etc and they were all carrying pocket knives and larger tactical knives as well as bayonets. As they were loading the plane there was a woman standing on the jet way with a small plastic bag. She announced that they all needed to drop their lighters in the bag and lighters were a potential terrorist item. Needless to say they all looked at each other with their myriad of real weapons and (without dropping lighters) laughed and got on the plane. My husband said they laughed the entire 17 hours of flight over this.[/I]
Has anyone else heard of or seen this? Wonder how they handle this with TSA? Story above is hilarious!
Oct 19, 2010, 5:56 pm
#2
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I've never been on a scheduled flight with a weapon, but I have been on commercial aircraft that have been chartered with a weapon. I too found it interesting when we hear over the PA "Please place all long rifles in the overhead compartments."
I've also had my lighter taken from me while carrying a rifle.
I've also had my lighter taken from me while carrying a rifle.
Oct 19, 2010, 6:27 pm
#3
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you have to be a special kind of stupid to tell a planeload of people with automatic weapons they need to give up their lighters, ostensibly so they don't light their shoe bomb on fire. The fact that someone that dumb was given access to the tarmac is the biggest security threat I've heard of in a long time.
Oct 19, 2010, 7:26 pm
#4
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I remember watching the Austin TSA making the National Guard guys run all their bags and kit, including their firearms, through the scanners about seven or eight years ago.
That was my first hint that the Federales might not be dealing from the full deck.
That was my first hint that the Federales might not be dealing from the full deck.
Oct 19, 2010, 7:41 pm
#5
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Well prior to TSA I flew from overseas as crew member to our home base in Florida. I had just a short time to make my way to the commercial airport to hope a flight home to Dallas. I had my full flight gear outfit including helmet, survival vest and all items it contains such as flares, knife and many other items with me as I boarded the commercial flight. I did get some odd looks from other passengers.
I can only imagine what would happen today if a member of the military was trying to get home on leave and had their flight gear with them.
With TSA we have gone so far past stupid that it is unbelievable.
I can only imagine what would happen today if a member of the military was trying to get home on leave and had their flight gear with them.
With TSA we have gone so far past stupid that it is unbelievable.
Oct 19, 2010, 8:27 pm
#6
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Well prior to TSA I flew from overseas as crew member to our home base in Florida. I had just a short time to make my way to the commercial airport to hope a flight home to Dallas. I had my full flight gear outfit including helmet, survival vest and all items it contains such as flares, knife and many other items with me as I boarded the commercial flight. I did get some odd looks from other passengers.
I can only imagine what would happen today if a member of the military was trying to get home on leave and had their flight gear with them.
With TSA we have gone so far past stupid that it is unbelievable.
I can only imagine what would happen today if a member of the military was trying to get home on leave and had their flight gear with them.
With TSA we have gone so far past stupid that it is unbelievable.
Oct 19, 2010, 8:31 pm
#7
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Of course my Top Secret clearance would not have counted for anything.
Oct 19, 2010, 10:51 pm
#8
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you have to be a special kind of stupid to tell a planeload of people with automatic weapons they need to give up their lighters, ostensibly so they don't light their shoe bomb on fire. The fact that someone that dumb was given access to the tarmac is the biggest security threat I've heard of in a long time.
).The confiscation had nothing to do with terrorism or weapons and everything to do with a stupid Congress and a TSA obliged to oblige.
Oct 20, 2010, 6:03 am
#10
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I still haven't quite gotten over travelling to the Alps by Eurostar, carrying my 40 cm ice axe, and having security confiscate my bottle of water.
Oct 20, 2010, 6:50 am
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Oct 20, 2010, 7:38 am
#12
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Me, too. Saw this at SDF.
Oct 20, 2010, 7:42 am
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Oct 20, 2010, 2:17 pm
#14
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Oct 20, 2010, 3:12 pm
#15
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Actually, the ones I saw at SDF were the NG troops that were patrolling in terminal for a while right after 9-11. They Xrayed the guns and packs, the troops put them on and started their patrols. If they were unloaded it was a monumental farce. Alright, if they were loaded and went through the Xray it was a monumental farce as well. It was wrong either way.