Guns Seized at Airport Destroyed

And i'm sure there are signs somewhere that says what items will be confiscated if you try to take them through the checkpoint.
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I can understand a person overlooking a firearm in a briefcase or purse as they plan for a trip. However, it seems like as they are standing in the line at the security checkpoint they would remember it was there and scoot out of line.

Also, I do understand the concept of personal property used in the commission of a crime being seized, but it still kind of bothers me. I suspect these folks are being charged with a misdemeanor and paying a fine, so taking the gun seems extreme. I think what bothers me the most is what kind of precedent does this set. Properly rights are very important in our society and we should take notice when they are threatened.
 
And the cops should have more important things to do than deal with people WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER! It really sounds like they are to cut down on wasted time by making it well known that they won't tolerate anymore "Oopsies"
 
BlueTrain, what you should get from this are two things: 1) that people aren't happy with any LEA having the ability to simply seize (or retain) property without having to leap through at least a few judicial hurdles; and 2) that people prefer LEOs and prosecutors to employ some common sense in making arrests or proffering charges.
 
If that bottle of water was before the "liquid, creams, pastes and gels" ban, say.... 5 or 6 years ago.... No one would have cared about a bottle of water.
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January 2010 - well into the no liquids/gels policy, but before they started pat-downs. I remember having to go to Wally World and stocking up from their "travel size" section.
 
Destroyed...yikes! Around my neck of the woods, the Sheriff's Department auctions their seized guns to local dealers once a quarter.

As to whether or not it's right, I also fall into the camp of "if you carry a firearm into a restricted area, you shouldn't be carrying a firearm." I carry almost all of the time and I've never, ever "forgotten" that I had a gun. In my mind, if you attempt to carry a gun past security at an airport, you're either too careless to carry or you intentionally broke the law. I'm not an absolutist about a lot of things, but this is one area where I feel pretty comfortable being black and white.

I do hate to hear that the firearms are being destroyed, though.
 
Around my neck of the woods, the Sheriff's Department auctions their seized guns to local dealers once a quarter.
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Hmm, I dunno what they do with 'em around here - maybe I should check out a Sheriff's auction sometime...;)
 
1) that people aren't happy with any LEA having the ability to simply seize (or retain) property without having to leap through at least a few judicial hurdles; and 2) that people prefer LEOs and prosecutors to employ some common sense in making arrests or proffering charges.
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HUH? You entered a secure area where the law is (and has been for decades) clearly known regarding firearms and airports. If a person isn't smart enough to follow something that simple, maybe owning a gun is out of the question as well
 
I had an aunt who forgot her pistol was in her purse at the New Orleans airport back in the early 1980's. They pushed her wheelchair back to her car so she could lock it in the trunk of her car. That seems a bit mild, but she never forgot again. Of course, she was a law-abiding citizen; i would have to assume that a criminal would be masochistic enough to repeatedly embarass themselves in such a fashion considering the current consequences for a "forgotten" firearm in your carry-on.
 
I will admit it I forgot to take a 9mm out of my leather bag.

I used the bag as my range bag and allways carried a shaving kit and change of clothes in it as it was also my jump bag when I was called out on a search.

When I was required to travel for my company I used it as a combo brief case and overnight bag.

Was called out on an emergency for the company had to meet the plane grabbed the bag and headed to the air port. Fortunately, I dropped the bag when I got out of my car and heard the distinctive clunk.

didn't get to the checkpoint or trouble.

So I feel for those who actually forget. It is possible. I also no longer fly. I use AMTRACK and enjoy the trip.
 
oneounceload, I've only read a handful of articles since 9/11 about people honestly forgetting a weapon was in their bag; these usually involved a last-minute trip, and tossing clothing into a travel bag that had just been used for a range trip, or else absent-minded grandmother types. Should such people own guns? Maybe, maybe not.

I haven't shown up for a flight with a gun in a bag, but I have shown up with a leatherman in my carry-on. I had flown a company aircraft out to a service center, and tend to fly with at least some survival gear. However, it was a dropoff situation, and I was going home via airliner. Forgot about the leatherman in my Nav bag. Yet I wasn't arrested for having a "knife," and I was allowed to walk over to the FedEx box and ship my leatherman home.

I'm sure, though, that you never ever forget anything important, in either your family's opinion or in that of the law...

As long as there are human beings, there will be human error. Judgement calls sometimes have to be made about whether something has happened due to criminal intent, criminal negligence, or understandable negligence.

And there should still be some serious legal hoops involved before any government agency is allowed to seize and/or destroy private property.
 
Isn't it a felony to attempt to bring a firearm into the sterile area of an airport? If convicted you now cannot possess firearms....would or could possession pass to your SO or heirs? Seems like if that's the case then someone in your family should get the gun back.

As to the gun and drugs comparisons, drugs are illegal to possess most everywhere. Guns aren't. The drug itself is illegal by default, you have to do something stupid with a gun for something to be illegal. Like leaving it in your bag and going through security.
 
oneounceload

In both cases, the folks were arrested by APD, hauled away, and prosecuted.
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I tripped over some of your words, Sir. Just to be clear: out of the 4 people, only 2 were arrested and prosecuted(the cocaine dude & the 44mag lady)?
 
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