Ind. Rep. Hostettler Detained at Airport

[inGobwetrust]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Rep. John Hostettler of Indiana was briefly detained Tuesday when airport security workers found a handgun in his briefcase as he was going through a checkpoint on a trip back to Washington.



The five-term Republican congressman was preparing to board a US Airways flight at Louisville International Airport when the gun was found, said his press secretary Michael Jahr.


"Apparently the congressman had left a handgun in his briefcase and forgot it was in there and took it to the security checkpoint, where it was detected and they detained him briefly to make sure he had no ill intent as they should do," Jahr said.


Jahr said Hostettler is an avid sportsman and has a permit for the weapon, but he was not sure what type of handgun the congressman had and whether it was loaded.


Hostettler has represented his district in southwestern Indiana since 1995 and is seeking re-election this year to a sixth term.

 

[TXBera]

And only the government should own guns...

 

[critter]

What did they do to him?
What would they have done if it had been me? Or you?

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

I guess the good congressman is above the law. If it were you or me, they would still be looking in our various orifices. Probably send us to Gitmo. But he walks.

 

[Jim March]

Let's give him one bit o' credit though: this is a politician who HAS supported our right to arms. So while there's probably some "elite treatment" going on, this wasn't hypocracy on the part of Rep. Hostettler.

 

[kbr80]

If it had been you are me, we would would be smoking a big turd next to tiny in a federal lock up.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

Jim,

I understand your position. But what if I was caught and my intentions were honorable as were his. He walks. Guess where we would be: bent over an exam table. Last I checked he was a citizen just like me. However, unlike me, he signs off on laws.

 

[rich2u]

You've got that right kbr80.We be seeing the proctologist right about now I imagine

 

[rritter]

Well, actually, in this case they are privileged beyond the rest of us peons:

US Consititution, Article I, Section 6 (excerpted).

The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

Is it a felony to carry a handgun through security at an airport? No doubt any Congressman will get easier treatment than the rest of us, but they do have legal immunities that ordinary citizens don't.

 

[labgrade]

I hear ya, Jim, but still, the guy broke the law (as stupid as it is, IMNSHO).

Cut him slack? Never! Make him eat it just like us peons would have to.

Perhaps if these "untouchables" get eatten once in a while like we do for "forgetting I had a gun," & we may see some changes in the laws.

 

[garrettwc]

Latest update, from the local news in Louisville.


FBI was called, Hostettler was questioned, TSA spokesman described as oversight. Congressman caught a later flight.

Gun was described (don't remember whether it was TSA or newsperson) as 9MM automatic pistol.

 

[freewheeling]

What is the law? I gather that you can carry an unloaded handgun in a locked container as well as a certain amount of ammo, as long as it's in checked luggage and you declare it at check in. From a practical standpoint, however, I'm not sure how that would work here in the Washington, DC area. Handguns are banned in the Dulles Corridor as well as DC, so I don't see how you could get it *to* the airport. I'm not sure what the situation is and BWI, but the Maryland laws are rather restrictive. There's a movement afoot to end the restrictions in the Dulles Corridor, putting it under the same laws as the rest of the state, which are rather gun friendly, but I'm not sure how far that has gone.

Do people routinely transport handguns in checked luggage? What if you're held over due to weather in some state with severe restrictions and you have to retrieve your checked items? I suppose it's entirely possible that a congressman might get around the DC and MD restrictions (and possibly the Dulles restrictions), by obtaining a carry permit that's all but impossible for the rest of us. (And this fellow was detained in a Kentucky airport en route to BWI, Reagan or Dulles.) But what should the rest of us do?

 

[TheOtherOne]

Gun was described (don't remember whether it was TSA or newsperson) as 9MM automatic pistol.

9mm Glock according to the article on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/20/congressman.gun/index.html

 

[geekWithA.45]

>>>Do people routinely transport handguns in checked luggage?

Yup. All the time. There's some regulations and paperwork involved, but it's no big deal AS LONG AS YOU AND THE GUY AT THE DESK KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING.


>>>>What if you're held over due to weather in some state with severe restrictions and you have to retrieve your checked items?

There's a federal affirmative defense for peaceable travel through such heinous places. (Details and caveats apply)

>>> But what should the rest of us do?

Explain like mad, look innocent *& law abiding, show pictures of your wife, kids, dog, and be as plausible as possible. Better yet, scrutinize your carry ons, and know where all of your guns are at all times.


IIRC, not EVERYONE with the forgotten handgun in the purse gets charged. A few folks have been let off, after missing their flight, once it had been determined that the mistake was honest and there was no illegal intentions. These stories show up in the paper as "the DA has yet to decide whether charges will be filed" stories, and you never hear any followup unless charges are filed.

 

[TheOtherOne]

IIRC, not EVERYONE with the forgotten handgun in the purse gets charged. A few folks have been let off, after missing their flight, once it had been determined that the mistake was honest and there was no illegal intentions. These stories show up in the paper as "the DA has yet to decide whether charges will be filed" stories, and you never hear any followup unless charges are filed.

I think the phrase that saves some of the people is not having it "artfully concealed".

 

[Hal]

on a trip back to Washington.

He's exempt from the DC laws too it appears

 

[Jim March]

I wasn't clear:

Hostettler isn't at fault. What's he gonna do, demand to get arrested?



That wouldn't even help the rest of us.

The ones at fault are the TSA, for perpetuating equal protection violations.

 

[Fred Thompson]

Guess we're not the same after all..

Methinks the good doctor shoud run for Congress, then he wouldn't have this problem..


http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/p...0040417&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=404170427&Ref=AR

 

[freewheeling]

Now that I think of it, Reagan National is in Virginia (though just barely) so it's subject to the far more friendly Virginia carry laws, than the draconian gun laws of DC. I'm not sure how long the restrictions at Dulles will remain, since it's now the only exception to the Virginia carry laws. It is probably the most likely departure point for me, although I sometimes fly out of BWI because it's cheaper. Since I started carrying a handgun I've been concerned about precisely how to get the critter from here to there. I generally like to carry my luggage on the plane, but I guess that's out now. I suppose I could get a separate suitcase just for my firearms. That'd be "special." Heh.

 

[Soap]

Don't worry guys, he is described as an "avid sportsman". I'm so tired of the damn "sportsman" thing being associated with anything to do with RKBA or gun rights issues

 

[madmike]

I've been stopped (Pre Sep 11) with a bayonet in my baggage.

"Sir, you can't take this aboard. You'll need to check the bag."

They were a bit surprised and bothered, but my business card (for cutlery sales) smoothed it over. Indy's pretty good about such things.



Attempting to carry a LOADED gun aboard a plane is a felony, and he could be arrested for that. In this case, they recognized who he was and realized it was an error. Position does count for something, yes.

Isn't this the same crowd who get upset when Joe Foss got hassled? Now that they're NOT hassling an obvious non-threat, you're getting upset again. So, if they hassle someone, they're unthinking jerks, and if they don't hassle someone, they're elitist jerks.

Well, which is it?

Unless we just want to agree that TSA should go in its entirety.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

Unless we just want to agree that TSA should go in its entirety.

I think that's the point. We would probably be safer if we had NO security from TSA. I doubt that anyone would hijack a plane from a CCW state.

It is always a matter of applying resources where they are used efficiently. Not shotgunning the resources to the point of diminishing returns, and then making abritrary and capricious calls like this.

 

[tallon]

Don't worry guys, he is described as an "avid sportsman". I'm so tired of the damn "sportsman" thing being associated with anything to do with RKBA or gun rights issues

This is a case "avid sportsman" does mean he's associated with RKBA and gun rights. At least as far as I have a folder with around a dozen letters stating his support of various pro-gun legislation since he was elected in 95. While his oversight at the airport is unfortunate, his RKBA voting record is near impeccable. There was one bad vote early in his first term, but he wised up after that and has voted pro-gun every time since. He's also one of a handful of Congressman who voted to have the US removed from the UN. Was it ever going to happen? No, but he showed his constituents exactly his position on the matter when most of them probably wouldn't have cared anyway. Unless he does a 180 between now and November, he'll get me vote.

-David

 

[BAB]

Hostettler is GOA-rated A+, which, as their website says, means: "Pro-Gun Leader: introduces pro-gun legislation".

He's not the problem, as Jim and others have said. Perhaps with his personal experience combined with the accounts of 'commoners' in the same situation getting thumped by overzealous DAs, the TSA, or whoever, we can enlist Hostettler in the effort to make sure this preferential/differential treatment ends. If he sees no problem with the current situation and refuses to acknowledge the problem, well then I'd be just as upset as some of you are, and I'd be highly disappointed in him. I feel a letter coming on...

 

[garrettwc]

FYI to those disussing the treatment of the Congressman and his offense. According to the local TV, taking the gun into the airport was only a misdemeanor punishable by small fine and up to a year in jail.

Jim March or some of the other legal eagles, at what point would this become a federal offense? I thought anything related to airports was federal jurisdiction, but based on the news reports, it is only a state law or ordinance hence the misdemeanor rather than felony.