Gun accidentally fired at checkpoint - by the investigating officer!

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/12/travel/gun-carryon-atlanta-airport/index.html

I haven't seen any other postings of this yet - but if I've missed it, please delete my thread.

This is interesting because what happened here is that everyone at the checkpoint was put in danger, not by the forgetful traveler who neglected to remove his gun from his carry-on, but by the officer who was investigating it! I'm sure the TSA will crow loudly about this one as well -- WOOHOO another gun kept off a plane! But it's clear the passenger had no intent to USE the gun on the plane.

Curious what others in here think of this. My first thought is that if these are the kinds of bozos investigating guns at checkpoints, then the actual process of searching for and removing guns from carry-ons is clearly way more dangerous to travelers than memory-challenged passengers carrying them onto planes!

 

It takes sheer stupidity to "accidentally" discharge a revolver.

The TSA employee should be cited for discharging a firearm within the city limits, or other applicable "You were criminally stupid" citation.

 

It was the law enforcement officer who discharged the firearm ...

I have a feeling the retard was walking around with a cocked revolver, otherwise clearing it would have been trivial.

 

I see. I missed "police" in the sentence. That's what comes of using the word "officer" to describe the blue-shirted cockroaches infesting our airports.

The only .22 magnum revolver I've ever handled was a double-action, not possible to hold in a "cocked" position.

 

Most (if not all) double-actions can be cocked -- all of ours can.

 

If it is double action it doesn't need to be cocked. Single action would require cocking before the trigger "should" fire the weapon.

 

I am aware of that. However, as I said, the only .22 Magnum I've ever handled could not lock the hammer back, and functioned only in double-action.

 

I'm well aware of that -- I have ~ half a dozen of each. The fact remains that double actions can be cocked and fired as single actions.

When a double action is not cocked, the cylinder release allows the cylinder to be flipped out easily & unloaded. When a double action is cocked, the cylinder is locked.

The article said the traveler was trying to tell the officer how to clear the weapon. Unless it's cocked, that's a trivial, releatively risk-free process. If it's cocked, well, none of my revolvers have decocking levers.

 

I would say both parties are fools.

The passenger for having the loaded gun at the airport not in his checked bag (is shouldn't be loaded in checked bag either), I'll believe he forgot but that's still a fault in my book.

The officer/inspector for discharging the gun. If he's going to "inspect" it-he should know how to do so properly or call for someone who does. I'm SURE that's NOT proper procedures.

The third part that I have a problem is: the inspector/officer fired the gun-but the passenger is only one who gets the heat?!! (Or so CNN reports.)


That was my thoughts.

 

I definitely agree the dude wins the boneheaded-passenger-of-the-week award. But that doesn't excuse the POLICE OFFICER who managed apparently to shoot himself in the face:

How do you get grazed by a bullet on the face and have it not be visible?

Anyway, while I realize this isn't exactly a TSA story, it happened at a checkpoint and, as far as I'm concerned, is just more evidence that the entire airport-security process is an f'd up mess.

 

Wow, the stupidity compounds the longer I read this thread. Shot himself in the face? Seriously? What was he doing pointing the gun anywhere near his face??

 

looking down the barrel to make sure the bullet's not there? (Think Wild E Coyote)
Sorry. Sorry, that was low but I couldn't resist.

 

Unfortunately just about every deer season there are a few real-life W.E. Coyotes who do just that after hangfires.

 

Sounds like the molester's groping assistant is just as big a doofus as the screener. If this person is LE there is simply no excuse for allowing the gun to discharge, particularly a revolver. And to be holding the gun in a position where the rat shot hits someone should be grounds for dismissal.

Still, I wish these dumbass pax would stop carrying weapons into the checkpoint and giving these bozos "finds" that they can tout in justifying their assaults on elderly women and children.

 

Bolding mine: That excuse doesn't work for me because they never say that they found weapons "artfully concealed" in someones crotch. IIRC they are always discovered in carry-on luggage. Still, yea, I agree. DumbAss pax should stop doing dumbass things like this.