Another gun found by Newark Airport security

For the ninth time this year, TSA officers confiscated a gun that was being brought into a plane. The latest incident happened Friday when a guy from New York showed up at a security checkpoint with a 9mm handgun in his carry-on bag. It was caught on x-ray and the man was promptly arrested.

NJ.com reports that this was the 9th gun confiscated at Newark Liberty International Airport this year. Last year 4,432 firearms were found at airports across the country. But I have doubts these were all nefarious acts.

I’ve heard countless stories of people forgetting something was in a bag that they then later used for travel. People have forgotten box cutters or knives in a work bag then used the work bag as a carry-on. People have gone to a gun range with the same bag they later used for travel and found out the hard way they stupidly left their gun inside it.

Sometimes they find out in easier ways. How many times have we heard of people accidentally bringing something in their carry-on that security never catches and they unpack in their hotel room in their destination city to find a gun or a knife among their toiletries and t-shirts. It’s no joke. It happens.

Meanwhile there’s the other way around. People having seemingly innocuous things confiscated from them by airport security that seems to pose no threat. I once had a small jar of peanut butter taken from me when flying with my young kids. It was in case they got hungry on the flight. I was told it came under the “liquids and gels” limited ounce rule. They asked why I had it. I said obviously in case the kids got hungry and I didn’t think peanut butter would be on that list. Then they said “if you had told us it was for emergency use in case of low blood sugar we could allow it.”

I then pointed out that actually I was a type 1 diabetic who often has low blood sugar so it could serve that purpose as well. I even showed the guy my medical kit to prove it.

“Well, you already said for the kids, so, you can’t have it now.”

True conversation.

I’m not saying TSA doesn’t do a respectable job. But I don’t think every gun or blade ever found at security was stopping a terrorist attack. I think they were largely mistakes.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski's own.