I went to the airport the other day and I noticed that T.S.A. does not carry gun's. I thought that was kind of odd, being that they deal with alot and probably have to respond to alot of emergencies. I do not see any reason why they should not be armed. Custom's is armed and even some pilot's now a day's wouldn't it make more sence to have the people protecting us on the ground to be armed as well:banghead: . If anyone know's the answer please let me know. Are safe any more? Did we not learn anything from 9/11. I never thought that the private companies needed to be armed but new day's need new tactic's. This seem's very odd to me. Are they law enforcement or what? It seem's that they enforce law's,regulation's and rule's so i would call that a leo wouldn't you?
T.S.A. NO GUNS?
- Thread starter pablo45
- Start date
- Status
kd7nqb
Member
I have heard 2 different answers to this but dont honestly fly enough to vouch for either.
1. The supervisors/ **** leads are armed just the regular guys are not
2. Depends on the airport, some are some are not.
1. The supervisors/ **** leads are armed just the regular guys are not
2. Depends on the airport, some are some are not.
TheFederalistWeasel
member
Here in Nashville the TSA luggage drones are not armed, the FAA Airport Police are as well as the Metro officers assigned to the airport.
TSA is mostly composed of hourly workers paid to screen your baggage. What part of their training and job makes them knowlegeable to handle a firearm?
I think that the only thing they need as a qualification is an American citizenship because pre-9/11 baggage screeners oftentimes were foriegn nationals.
They are not the ones who respond to threats, that is left to ariport police.
I think that the only thing they need as a qualification is an American citizenship because pre-9/11 baggage screeners oftentimes were foriegn nationals.
They are not the ones who respond to threats, that is left to ariport police.
pacodelahoya
Member
Velojym,
I hear ya. Issue everyone their choice of .357 rvolver or .45 acp pistol upon boarding and hijacking would cease to be a concern.
I hear ya. Issue everyone their choice of .357 rvolver or .45 acp pistol upon boarding and hijacking would cease to be a concern.
CWL is exactly right.
TSA had to employ nearly 50,000 people in a big hurry.
No one all the way up the chain except maybe an
AFSD (Assistant Federal Security Director)for law enforcement is armed, and they really don't need to be either.
You would not want most of these people armed.
TSA is the equivalent of a federal McDonalds.
TSA had to employ nearly 50,000 people in a big hurry.
No one all the way up the chain except maybe an
AFSD (Assistant Federal Security Director)for law enforcement is armed, and they really don't need to be either.
You would not want most of these people armed.
TSA is the equivalent of a federal McDonalds.
There's no way I'd want the TSA agents to have weapons. Most of them can't even speak English. Do you want the guys working the McDonalds in the terminal to also be armed? They're probably more qualified than your average TSA agent.
Same goes for the stewards and stewardesses (are we supposed to call them seomthing else these days?). They've had enough lead to to their head with the power trip many of them have gotten since 9-11 (they seem to think they're supposed to be even more unpleasant and authoratative, like a terrorist is going to obey the orders of a 5' woman to go sit down during landing instead of using the head - or blowing it up).
Same goes for the stewards and stewardesses (are we supposed to call them seomthing else these days?). They've had enough lead to to their head with the power trip many of them have gotten since 9-11 (they seem to think they're supposed to be even more unpleasant and authoratative, like a terrorist is going to obey the orders of a 5' woman to go sit down during landing instead of using the head - or blowing it up).
stevelyn
Member
Do you really want to arm a bunch of thieving welfare-to-work TSA monkeys that can't even agree amongst themselves what the rules are or what you can have in your bags?
Sodbuster
Member
Anyone who confiscates a Medal of Honor from the late Joe Foss (a) has my complete disdain and (b) doesn't deserve to carry a weapon. Sheriff's deputies are at our small airport.
Secret clearances...
While I hope I'm wrong on this, it would seem to me that anyone who actually has secret
clearances, wouldn't be going around telling people about their secret clearances.
Unless you're Valerie Plame.
I don't want them carrying guns. Give a trained pilot a gun because no one on the plane can get away from bad guys, but an airport has cover and exits. I don't want what amounts to burger flipping bureaucrats carrying guns ANYWHERE! Terrorists intimidate with guns, bombs and knives. Bureaucrats intimidate with prison.
I'd almost say either let everyone carry at the airport or no one, but I'll admit that I don't want John Q Public carrying ON a plane. Aluminum and insulation doesn't do much to stop a bullet and I like to breath.
While I hope I'm wrong on this, it would seem to me that anyone who actually has secret
clearances, wouldn't be going around telling people about their secret clearances.
Unless you're Valerie Plame. I don't want them carrying guns. Give a trained pilot a gun because no one on the plane can get away from bad guys, but an airport has cover and exits. I don't want what amounts to burger flipping bureaucrats carrying guns ANYWHERE! Terrorists intimidate with guns, bombs and knives. Bureaucrats intimidate with prison.
I'd almost say either let everyone carry at the airport or no one, but I'll admit that I don't want John Q Public carrying ON a plane. Aluminum and insulation doesn't do much to stop a bullet and I like to breath.
Car Knocker
Member
A bullet hole in the fuselage is not going to suck all the air out of the cabin.
TexasRifleman
Moderator Emeritus
Oh brother....
And of course you do realize that there are MANY armed Air Marshalls on flights already (though not enough of course).
Too many movies.......
FYI on your average airliner the pressurization pumps are already working to overcome leaks here and there in excess of 1 or 2 inches total.
Those things are NOT airtight.
acdodd
Member
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2005
- Messages
- 486
I worked at the airport for 2 years.
I never would want the TSA to be armed.
Like everywhere, there are TSA people that are gun owners. However the vast majority are low paid glorified baggage apes.
The turnover is high and the on the job injuries are very common.
Most of the ones I worked around were retired military, been laid off, or just couldn't get a real job, and none of the gave a damn after the fist couple of weeks.
The ones that man the checkpoints are the worst.
For most of them it is the first time in their lives they have had any type of authority and they are anxious to exercise it.
If the TSA were armed I would be willing to bet they would cause untold problems.
Everything from lost guns to unprovoked shootings.
If the TSA is ever armed I will never go to the airport again.
AC
I never would want the TSA to be armed.
Like everywhere, there are TSA people that are gun owners. However the vast majority are low paid glorified baggage apes.
The turnover is high and the on the job injuries are very common.
Most of the ones I worked around were retired military, been laid off, or just couldn't get a real job, and none of the gave a damn after the fist couple of weeks.
The ones that man the checkpoints are the worst.
For most of them it is the first time in their lives they have had any type of authority and they are anxious to exercise it.
If the TSA were armed I would be willing to bet they would cause untold problems.
Everything from lost guns to unprovoked shootings.
If the TSA is ever armed I will never go to the airport again.
AC
plexreticle
Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2006
- Messages
- 1,240
Why would the TSA folks ever need to be armed?
Airport security is truly pathetic. They have done positively nothing that in any way actually makes us safer in the past 6 years, and instead they have made travelers victims of annoying and useless regulations.
I don't care one way or the other if those jerks are armed, it won't help any.
I don't care one way or the other if those jerks are armed, it won't help any.
velojym
Member
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2006
- Messages
- 621
Quite the opposite, I'd think. A large group of uniformed morons with a love for unearned authori-tah would likely end up with a few innocent dead.
At my airport, it was found that a large number of them had criminal records which should have disqualified them, but they were hired in a hurry. I don't know what happened after that. Hell, the union may have required that they keep their jobs. Happens at the VA here all the time.
A bullet hole WILL NOT cause a structural failure in an aluminum fuselage. Hell, you can gash the damned things pretty severely. All the major failures have been due to metal fatigue (aluminum work-hardens and becomes brittle over time, and work cycles. We inspect for that pretty thoroughly now) and the idea of a simple bullethole bringing down an airliner is straight out of the Brady Campaign book of Useful Misinformation.
At my airport, it was found that a large number of them had criminal records which should have disqualified them, but they were hired in a hurry. I don't know what happened after that. Hell, the union may have required that they keep their jobs. Happens at the VA here all the time.
A bullet hole WILL NOT cause a structural failure in an aluminum fuselage. Hell, you can gash the damned things pretty severely. All the major failures have been due to metal fatigue (aluminum work-hardens and becomes brittle over time, and work cycles. We inspect for that pretty thoroughly now) and the idea of a simple bullethole bringing down an airliner is straight out of the Brady Campaign book of Useful Misinformation.
Axman
Member
Edmond said:
Can you say, "Airport Ninja"?
Outlaws
Member
I worked for them as part of the first wave of employees. Trust me, you don't want half of them armed. I thought I was doing some good by working there, but then left for personal reasons due to some things I didn't agree with (ie, goofing around with peoples personal belongings...not all airports had/have baggage checks in front of the owner).
About 50% is ex-military, washed out LEO's, and prison guards. The other half people who don't want to work. A few are extremely power hungry and this is the only place they can get it.
I started out at the gates, and customers were a$$h0le$ to us right off the bat. I tried to be nice and respectful, but I am still a person and I can only handle so much BS before you start giving it it back to them. If you ask someone nicely and you are just doing your job and they want to mouth off, you start taking it personally and they get every inch of their carry-on searched. Ya, its un-American, but so is being rude IMO. Thank God I got the check baggage area underground after a couple months because passagers are complete pricks. Ya, the TSA guys can be too, but it goes both ways and I was fed up dealing with it. I was at the point of , "let the f-ing plane blow up, no one wants their stuff searched anyways so lets just let them on. I don't get paid enough to deal with this BS." But the underground area was 100x worse. People messing with other peoples stuff since they can't see. Playing hockey with checked hockey sticks then realizing the reason it was wrapped up so good is because it was autographed and the idiot who unwrapped and played with it should have been fired. That was the finally straw. I just gave up and left. There was no patriotism trying to prevent more airline disasters. I still say let everyone on. If some have to die so everyone may be free, that is the cost of freedom.
I believe everyone should be armed....except the government.
About 50% is ex-military, washed out LEO's, and prison guards. The other half people who don't want to work. A few are extremely power hungry and this is the only place they can get it.
I started out at the gates, and customers were a$$h0le$ to us right off the bat. I tried to be nice and respectful, but I am still a person and I can only handle so much BS before you start giving it it back to them. If you ask someone nicely and you are just doing your job and they want to mouth off, you start taking it personally and they get every inch of their carry-on searched. Ya, its un-American, but so is being rude IMO. Thank God I got the check baggage area underground after a couple months because passagers are complete pricks. Ya, the TSA guys can be too, but it goes both ways and I was fed up dealing with it. I was at the point of , "let the f-ing plane blow up, no one wants their stuff searched anyways so lets just let them on. I don't get paid enough to deal with this BS." But the underground area was 100x worse. People messing with other peoples stuff since they can't see. Playing hockey with checked hockey sticks then realizing the reason it was wrapped up so good is because it was autographed and the idiot who unwrapped and played with it should have been fired. That was the finally straw. I just gave up and left. There was no patriotism trying to prevent more airline disasters. I still say let everyone on. If some have to die so everyone may be free, that is the cost of freedom.
I believe everyone should be armed....except the government.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
