Should you not reload or visit the gun range shortly before boarding a plane?

[Habeed]

Well

I thought gunpowder was mostly nitrocellulose, not nitroglycerin.

From these stories, it sounds like this is a case of a high tech machine proving inferior to a several hundred year old, low tech method.

A sniffer dog. A dog's nose is packed with millions of protein based molecular sensors. It only takes a few atoms of the substance in question to set off the detector in the nose of the dog. With training, the dog will know to alert you when it smells the explosives.

Obviously, the underwear bomber wouldn't have gotten by a dog.

Plus, a dog can tell if you have the explosives anywhere on your person or in your luggage, versus this scanner that requires you to swab the surface in question and even then it doesn't always work.

 

[SuperNaut]

I have been sniffed going thru airport security after visiting the range, via the plexiglas box with puffers and sensors. The alarms in fact sounded, and I sadly found myself subject to a relatively complete pat-down and scrutiny.

Wow, I fly a lot and the sniffer alarms haven't ever gone off for me.

Lucky I guess.

 

[rbernie]

Wow, I fly a lot and the sniffers have never gone off for me.

I suspected that my shoes had picked up a bunch of residue. Dunno for sure.

 

[essayons21]

I highly doubt it would not have picked up on the c-4 if you had been cutting it up on your bag the day before.

Unless the machine was broke

Doubt it all you want. Either they were reusing swabs, didn't know how the machine worked, or it was broken. Makes me wonder if a terrorist has to bathe with explosive soap to get the TSA to take notice.

I don't know what system they use, but the systems that I have used were pretty foolproof. And they told you if they weren't properly calibrated or weren't working.

 

[duns]

Hardest information was received from ChemistryGuy, post #13. Thanks for that. Taking your information into account, plus the anecdotal information, it seems this new test is almost useless (useful only if the BG didn't read the information available on the internet). Maybe it will give comfort to the general public, and make it look like the authorities are doing something.

 

[fragmag]

You good info by chemistry guy.

 

[fragmag]

Doubt it all you want. Either they were reusing swabs, didn't know how the machine worked, or it was broken. Makes me wonder if a terrorist has to bathe with explosive soap to get the TSA to take notice.

I don't know what system they use, but the systems that I have used were pretty foolproof. And they told you if they weren't properly calibrated or weren't working.

Don't take offense to my doubting. I'm not doubting you, just the fact that the machine was unable to pick up on the explosives on your bag.

 

[Papaster]

My brother got detained for a while one time when he flew:
After shooting his .22 rifle he handled his laptop, which flew with him. There was gunpowder residue on his laptop (which they have been swabbing for a while now), so he got a pretty thorough interview with TSA. This was a couple of years back.

 

[Kingcreek]

The older I get, the more I like driving. The scenery is better and I only remove my clothing if I feel like it.

 

[The Tennessean]

I went to the range on my lunch hour the other day. Got back to work and had two spent .357s in my front shirt pocket. I was sitting in a meeting and reached for a pen in my pocket when I noticed something else was in there so I pulled whatever it was out and set in on the conference table with about eight other people sitting there. The guys in my department got a good laugh out of it, since they all know I sometimes go shoot on my lunch hour.

 

[12131]

The older I get, the more I like driving. The scenery is better and I only remove my clothing if I feel like it.

I feel the same way.

 

[The Tennessean]

I prefer driving to flying, mostly because I can go at my own pace and the only schedule I'm on is my own (for the most part). I typically only fly if I will be traveling greater than 750 miles.

For instance, flying from Atlanta, GA to Orlando, FL. I used to do this frequently for work. I have to drive to the airport in Atlanta - depending on the time of day and where I'm at that could take anywhere from 45 minutes to several hours, no joke. Now, I have to be at the airport 1.5 hours early because I have stood in the security line for 45 minutes, stood in the check-bag line for 45 minutes. Then comes waiting for the flight. If the flight is one time, great, if it's not you could be waiting a little longer. If the plane in line in front of you has a problem you could be sitting on the runway for a period of time. Now when you land you have to wait some more for your bags, if you need a cab or rental car there's even more waiting and now you have to drive or ride to your location, which having lived in Orlando I can tell you the traffic isn't any better than Atlanta, it could take 45 minutes or longer to get from the airport in Orlando to DT or the north end suburbs like Maitland, Altamonte, ect.

I can literally be in the car and in south GA (originating driving in Atlanta) by the time I get checked in and am waiting for my flight at the airport. By the time I board the plane and take off I can be in north Florida, sometimes mid Florida. Get the picture?

So, for under 750 mile trips I prefer to drive.