Sun Sentinel article on weapons confiscated; explains "artfully concealed"
 

Well, this certainly helps to clear up what is "artfully concealed".:rolleyes:

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/201...urity-officers

Want to be arrested? Just carry a weapon through South Florida airport checkpoints
April 11, 2011|By Ken Kaye, Staff Writer


About 200 people were arrested at the security checkpoints of South Florida's three major airports last year, many charged with bringing in guns, knives and other lethal weapons.

Caught with items more dangerous than most airport transgressors — security officers at the three airports intercepted more than 55,000 articles in 2010 — none of those arrested had a link to terrorism, police say. Yet catching them was vital to the Transportation Security Administration's mission.

"Our job is not just to be sure that we keep terrorists off planes, but also to be sure that we detect and deter," said Tim Lewis, the TSA's security director at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. "No one wants to be sitting on a plane next to a terrorist, or for that matter a violent gang member or other nefarious person with a gun or knife."

For example, if a traveler is caught with a box cutter used for work in a carry-on bag, the item will be seized, but the passenger likely will be questioned and moved along. Yet if the person tries to hide those same box cutters under clothing, he or she likely will be arrested, said Chief Roy Liddicott, commanding officer at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

"If it's what we call 'artfully concealed,' then it's a different story," he said. "That's intent. Now we take you."

Concealed weapons permit no help

Even if you have a concealed weapons permit, carrying an undeclared gun or knife likely will end with an arrest, Liddicott said.

Such was the case in November, when TSA officers found a small handgun in Gerald Earley's duffle bag while he was at a checkpoint at Palm Beach International. Because Earley, 46, of Fort Pierce, had a concealed weapons permit, it was considered a misdemeanor and he was given a notice to appear in court and released.

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How many of those "lethal weapons" were leather bookmarks or silver cake servers?

Well they are now, now that you gave them a record
 

That statement artfully bothers the heck out of me. Can there be a better display of everything that is wrong with the US Criminal Justice(sic) System 2011?

Where do "loud disturbances" fall on the scale of "dangerous" items?

I'll bet you 100% of those weapons were detected by x-raying carry-on's, WTMD's and wanding and none were found by strip search scanners. Because if they did ever actually find a gun or big scary knife with a strip search scanner, DHS spokesmen would have been holding a press conference in Washington hailing the 'success' of the scanners.

We already know of the failures with the NoS and it's capability to find guns... Thank our friends with DFW TSA ;)

So by this very definition, "artfully concealed," has to be a prohibited item, yes?

I ask because at CLE I had a screener try and convince his STSO and police that my permitted tool (under 7") was "artfully concealed," when it fell into the zipper lining of my bag.

The entire time I kept telling them, it's a permitted item. It doesn't matter where in the bag it is if it's permitted.

You are pretty much correct. You can artfully conceal your socks if you like, or your 6.9 inch socket wrench, TSA will not care. Artfully concealing a prohibited item though is going to case some very serious issues. Law Enforcement makes the determination concerning the legal aspects of any TSA request for assistance by LEO's, they may and most likely will follow any procedures they have in place for such circumstances.

This made me laugh. I was thrown for a loop once when a TSO challenged my Kippie bag contents. I consolidated all my toiletries in the baggie, including a solid deodorant that was over 3.4 ounces. He pulled the deodorant. I pointed out that it was a solid, so it was allowed. He said I wasn't allowed to put non-LGAs in the baggie, so I was going to have to surrender it, not because it was a prohibited item, but because it wasn't supposed to be in the baggie.

Perhaps I, too, was guilty of 'artfully concealing' my solid deodorant in my clear, re-sealable, removed from luggage and in bowl clear one quart baggie. Guess I was lucky he didn't summon LEOs. :p

Yes, unfortunately, TSA at FLL that they didn't do right. They can't be right. If they are capable enough to find a gun. They cannot allowed to bring the gun, knives, box cutter and etc. Nobody! You could be arrested for that. That's why they failed to search the weapons. The weapons is prohibited from TSA Checkpoint. No one ever allowed to bring the gun, knives, and etc. TSA is responsible to searched the weapons and they will find it.