Does The G.E. "Puffer" Machine Detect GSR?
 

I was checking in at DFW today when I realized two things:

• The TSA at DFW uses the General Electric "puffer" machine on "selected" pax to supposedly check for explosive traces; and
  
• Since I had gone for target practice yesterday, I probably had Gun Shot Residue on both hands.

On that great source of forensic science, CSI, they always say that GSR cannot be washed off and stays on the hands for 48 hours or more.

Fortunately, I was not selected for a "puff," (although they picked the woman behind me in line) so I don't know what would have happened, but I am indeed curious:

1. Does the G.E. "puffer" machine detect GSR?
   
2. If the machine had "alarmed" for me, what would have happened especially since I was not carrying anything illegal?

No you're not. If you were "indeed curious", you would have volunteered to be puffered as a test to determine the machine's sensitivity, then reported the results of your experiment here, where we're really curious about this same thing. :D

Presumably, yes. I know the ETD machines pick up GSR, so it's a logical assumption for me to think that the woebegone puffer machines would pick it up, too. We don't have a puffer in HSV though, and since TSA is pulling out of the puffer market for a variety of reasons, I doubt I'll ever get to play with one.

As for the second one... meh... difficult question to answer when it comes to dancing on the SSI line. Basically, just pretend like you had the SSSS marks on the boarding pass, and go with it from there.

Reports on this have been uneven. I go to a number of meetings and conferences that include live fire of weapons, and many of the people that attend these portions shoot firearms regularly, anyway. I've asked them if they've ever been "caught" by the puffer machines, and they told me that they are seldom, if ever, stopped at the checkpoint after going through the puffer. This is explainable several ways, such as having changed clothes and showered between the last shoot and the checkpoint. But most of these folks handle their firearms and/or the cases during packing, so one would expect there would be some residue transfer.

I was traveling with my firearm in the approved case within a checked bag, and one zealous TSO decided that merited some extra inspection of my bag. Okay with me, check away. He decided to have me open the locked gun case, whereupon he swabbed the revolver itself and put the pad into the scanner. He seemed alarmed when he told me it was positive for explosive residue. I replied, "It's a gun. What did you expect?" He called his supervisor, who told him to lock up the case and send it through. :)

I have gone through checkpoints which involved ETD swabbing of my bag, and said bag had within 24 hours prior had in it a fired handgun. I've also used my range bag (once) as a carry-on bag--carefully emptying it out to avoid any issues--and not had it alarm.

Of course, I've also had that bag alarm on the swab twice, when it hadn't been anywhere near anything remotely explosive for months.

That said, I would fully expect GSR to set off both ETD and puffers due to the nitrate contents.

:D

Wonderful!

Yeah, right. Isn't "volunteering for a TSA exam" in the same category as "recreational colonoscopy?"

I figured I was going to show them my range card but what do I know?

It'd be nice, but it's still only as nice as the people with knee replacements having the picture of the x-ray on the little card. All alarms have to be resolved, so if you alarm in the puffer, card or not, you'd have to go for secondary screening.

It wont see it.

#1 TSA @ DFW G.E. SEES'S GSR? GSR = SSSS? #3 NO G.E. @ HSV #6 =:d #9 = XRAY #10 IQ = NO

A quick summary of this thread (It's Friday and I'm bored at work.)

I have been puffed less than an hour after target practice will no positive and nothing more than a vigorous handwashing since discharge of the firearms.

For FT'ers, yes. For the bad guys, it would be "probing the defenses". So if the TSA was consistent, they would disallow self-selected volunteerism since the bad guys would flock to it for prerunning an attack.

Does anyone happen to know if the sensitivity of the puffer can be dialed up or down by the TSA staff, or does it require a specialist to come in and adjust it? Standard walk-through scanners can be calibrated at different levels of sensitivity I believe -- belt buckles may set off an alarm at one station, but not another, for example.

pc

This is interesting. Do you mind if I ask what you were shooting? I was under the impression that a 9 really leaves a lot of GSR.