Hassle At The Airport

[Sixgun]

Shootists,
I went to the Philly airport today for a flight to Colorado to visit my son. After checking in my two rifles and baggage, I proceeded to security. While going through security, I heard my name called over the loudspeaker to come back to check-in. I went back and there's these two big shot TSA agents who wanted to speak to me about several things. One was that they could not open my SKB rifle case even though I gave them the keys. I showed them how to use keys dopes Then they tell me they were confiscating my 200 rounds of factory 38 spl. ammo because it was not in an approved container. It was heavily (I mean heavily) shrink wrapped. I said, "OK, I need to be on my way" Then they told me they were confiscating my 300 EMPTY 45 auto BRASS because they too, were not in an approved container. I said "empty brass!??" They said, "You wanna go to Colorado?" I said, " See 'ya, keep it all". After arriving in Denver and going to my son's house I noticed my baggage was in disarray. The lock was cut and thrown in the bag, and the 300 32-20 HEADS and 200 45-70 HEADS that were neatly packed and duct taped up were mostly scattered all over as was the new RCBS Piggyback and its hardware I bought for my son that was also boxed and taped. They sh__heads rummaged through everything I had and then just threw in a pile.

The only thing that made it though were 100 rounds of 32-20 and a box of military 45 auto. Even my underware and socks were in disarray. I guess a white guy with a cowboy hat on fits the profile of a terrorist. Funny thing, the one TSA agent spoke broken English. This dope was protecting the USA?? I see the revolution coming sooner than expected.-----------------Sixgun

[revolverjunkie]

empty 45 brass explodes outside of an approved container silly

um woulnd't them dumping all your brass all over the place constitue not being in an approved container
see there the ones who should be arrested

watch out he might throw that empty brass at us and hurt our feelings rofl

[mescalero1]

Last trip to OKC
first time ever the FAA demanded my presence
Got to the OKC airport @ 6:30 AM for an 9:00 AM flight back to Phoenix
Barely made flight because of TSA incompetence
And I worked for them!
Sort of, not the TSA

[Jarhead]

Sixgun,

Yea, they say it has to be in Factory(original packing)..no reloads. BS...
I fly to Alaska frequently with my weapons, but I always put my rounds in a factory box...no hassle. Home reloads, but how do they know. I know...it's a hassle.

[Mike D.]

TSA personnel are by and large "trained" to the point of ignorance. Many are uneducated people that saw a free paycheck on the way from the Government. There is less control over the agency personnel than there is over us passengers. I see no significant chance for improvement regardless of which party assumes command.

[spaceman spiff]

two words, gentlemen...... patriot act.

we're paying for this scrutiny with our tax dollars.
we ought to feel safe.

Regards,

Troy

[Ysabel Kid]

I just looked, and I have flown 40 flight segment this year. I don't have that many non-direct flights, so I figure I've had the "pleasure" of going through a TSA-manned (I use that word loosely) check-point about 36 times. Since 9/11 I have been through them a couple hundred times.

Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment!

The TSA is a prime example of what happens when you put government in charge of more and more things. They constantly defend against the last threat, and 95% of them basically have the skill set and mentality of Barney Fife.

If we need an example on how to protect ourselves from terrorism, we already have the world-class example of Israel. Guess who provides the airport security more often than not there? Private firms.

I would say we are getting what we pay for, but when the government is involved, that is never the case.

Sixgun, I feel for you. My flights on Thursday were a "day trip" - flew up that morning and back the same day. No baggage other than my briefcase. TSA got annoyed by my nasal spray in my briefcase not being in a 1-quart plastic bag. I responded that it normally is, but since this wasn't an overnight trip, I put it in my briefcase just in case. I get sinus infections a lot, and have blown out my eardrums before while flying with severe congestion, so I always carry nasal spray for emergencies. The TSA b!t@# was about to confiscate my spray when I pointed to the sign which said "small personal medications are exempt". They don't even know their own rules!

[J Miller]

Sixgun,

I sympathize with you. That is one of the biggest reasons I refuse to fly. Period, end of discussion.

I see the revolution coming sooner than expected.-----------------Sixgun

Unfortunately there will be no revolution. The country as a whole is still to fat, to lazy, to well fed, and to well off. Most Americans have had the self reliant pioneer spirit bred out of them. They are sheep. I'm too old and decrepit to revolt, as are most of us who do still have some of the old "leave me the hell alone" spirit.

Joe

[Pete44ru]

[I see the revolution coming sooner than expected.]

Not as long as everyone can still order a pizza delivered to their home, watch "the game" on TV, or drive somewhere.

Things are only gonna get worse, before they get better - and my only consolation is that I'm probably not gonna be around long enough to see it get really bad.
I feel bad that my kids and grandkids will have to go through it, though.

.

[stretch]

Sig ******* Heil, everybody!

The TSA is no different than the brownshirted Nazis.

I've flown ONCE since 9/11/2001 - and I might never again. Incompetent searches,
ineffective rules, an intimidating attitude, and RUDE agents with rings in their noses
(I'm not kiddin' - a 20-year-old kid with a ring in her nose!) I literally stood in line and refused
to comply with requests until they said, "please."

I'd be arrested these days, so I just don't bother.

We the sheeple are getting what we, as a nation, deserve. They push us around, snoop
through our effects, and now they've brazenly stolen $700 billion bucks from us.

Mr. Miller is right:

"Unfortunately there will be no revolution. The country as a whole is still to fat, to lazy, to well fed,
and to well off. Most Americans have had the self reliant pioneer spirit bred out of them. They are sheep."

We ought to take every fourth federal legislator outside, line 'em up against a wall, and shoot 'em. Then
tell the rest of 'em they've got 180 days to straighten the Iraq mess, the Afghan mess, and the economic
mess out before we grab every fourth one again. Maybe then they'll view us as serious.

Unfortunately, that's just a dream, because most Americans don't understand the issues and don't care.
They've got their big-screen TVs, and plenty of twinkies to stuff their 300-pound ***** with.

Rant, rant, rant..............thanks for listening, boys.

-Stretch

[Jarhead]

They've got their big-screen TVs, and plenty of twinkies to stuff their 300-pound ***** with.



-Stretch

+1000 Stretch...

[O.S.O.K.]

Sixgun, If Obamination gets into the whitehouse, it will only be a matter of time.

I would suggest two things.

First, I would write a letter to TSA detailing your problems and copy it to your Congressman and Senators.

Second, I would suggest UPSing your stuff ahead of time for the next trip - to avoid these JBT's. Just take your rifles and put them into a hard golf case with lots of padding.

[AJMD429]

Thank God I never have to fly.

People assume it is 'fear' of flying or 'fear' of terrorists that makes many of us not want to fly. Not at all; the statistics reveal those threats to be less than driving to work which we do daily.

No - it is 'fear' of the things a logical and intelligent mind might cause one to say when confronted by the moronic, symbolic, counterproductive 'policies' these idiots so gleefully enforce. Then WE would be in trouble, and WE would be in jail. So (paraphrasing from another thread) the fear most of us who are 'bears' have is not the 'wolves' but moreso we fear the rabid 'sheepdogs' in our society, for we are not allowed to deal with them.

[Modoc ED]

I feel for ya Sixgun.

This oughta be a lesson for everyone. Ship your ammo and components ahead via UPS.

[Scott Young]

i quit flying when i lost a case knife just dropping a friend off. i unintentionally went pass a point of no return and was subjected to a wand search. i had to remove all metal hence my knife. they confiscated it even though i told them i was not flying. i asked them if i could retrieve it when i left they said no. i raised a little fuss at that point and sent my friend off. after his departure, i returned to the guard that confiscated my knife and then it got ugly. i was threatened and verbally assaulted. i had a choice of being arrested or leaving. how i wish i chose the arrest then. i didn't have the money to follow through, i still don't have the money, but i have more disgust. i haven't flown since.

i don't think we will ever see a revolution unfortunately.

[AmBraCol]

Things have changed dramatically over the decades. Back in the 70's I packed up my carry on prior to an international flight. I'd picked up some knives and never gave a thought to it - they got tossed in with my other stuff in the carry on. We got to the gate and the x-ray picked up the knives. They were fixed blades between four and six inches in length (the blades, not overall) I was sent to the ticket counter where I handed off the knives to a clerk, then back to security and on to the plane. BEFORE WE EVEN LANDED I was handed the knives which went back into my carry on. Now, they could tell that a gangly teenager traveling with his family was NOT a threat. Anymore? They've NO IDEA who the threat comes from and many are racially motivated to harass whities as much as they can - and they can do lots under the cover of TSA and "national security". Yeah, I feel for you. I'm not looking forward to next summer's flights, that's for sure. If I can find an alternative way to travel we will - but there's a dearth of passenger ships anymore and time's at a premium as well...

As for revolution? There's too few who have the will to do what it takes. We've put up with seven years of idiocy until it's now a habit. We allowed them to do the "no profiling" following 9/11/01 and now we're stuck with it.

Each airline has their own rules to go along with TSA's idiocy. I triple checked prior to traveling earlier this year. Made sure and crossed my t's and dotted my i's and managed to get past with no problems with my Gamo and CVA "weapons". It really hacks me off that they've implemented so many asinine regulations - but our only means of protest (don't fly) has brought no results in reversing the idiocy.

Is there the resolve to do an old fashioned tar and feathering and riding the idiots out of town on a rail? Nope. There simply is not. We're too "civilized" to demand respect for ourselves as law abiding citizens and we're too craven to stand up and say "Take a flying leap." We all want "to get where we're going" and if we complain then we have a record and will get doubly "serviced" the next time we endeavor to fly. Meanwhile, those who perpetrated the horror are busy finding ways to complicate our lives even more. TSA is protecting against yesterday's threats in an ineffective manner. If they'd simply allow non-muslim CCW holders to carry aboard airlines we'd have no problems with any future terror threats from that angle.

[MikeS.]

Here is the main reason I'll spend 16 hours driving to Memphis next week. I can carry as much ammo and firearms as I want.

[jnyork]

I absolutely refuse to fly for any reason. If I need to get somewhere, I will drive and if that makes me late, so be it.

The TSA recruited their personnel out of McDonalds and Walmart, and those companies only released those employees who were not smart enough to hack it anyway and were glad to get rid of them.

[Jay Bird]

Wow Guys,
I never realized there was so much support for the asinine ways the "government" is performing. But on the other hand, I KNOW there are still many patriots out there who will fight to the end to preserve our grand way of life and freedom. My son and I will surely be in that group. Thanks guys! As Poncho Villa said, "Viva la Revolution!"-------------------Sixgun

[O.S.O.K.]

Wow Guys,
I never realized there was so much support for the asinine ways the "government" is performing. But on the other hand, I KNOW there are still many patriots out there who will fight to the end to preserve our grand way of life and freedom. My son and I will surely be in that group. Thanks guys! As Poncho Villa said, "Viva la Revolution!"-------------------Sixgun

I don't understand - what support for the government? We all think they are a bunch of JBT's (Jack Booted Thugs) - from the comments this seems to be the shared opinion...

Perhaps you mean out of this thread?

[AmBraCol]

I read somewhere the following words...

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

<sarcasm on>I think it was some old piece of paper that has little relevance to our lives today. Something called a "constitution" - whatever the heck that is...<sarcasm off>


The big problem is - what constitutes "unreasonable search and seizure". Another problem is that anytime you step onto territory that is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government you are presumed to have given up your rights. You are not allowed to keep and bear even a pen knife, much less a musket or today's equivalent - because you're now in THEIR territory, a country within a country where your rights are presumed to be subordinate to their whims. And when you enter an airport you are assumed to be "the enemy" and are treated as such. But we have not yet done a thing about it. What would it take to press charges against the entire system? How do we sue for our rights? That ol' piece of paper says something about a right to "petition the Government for a redress of grievances" (that's just after the part that everyone knows about "separation of church and state" "right to print pornography" - but actually IS in the original document - unlike the parts in quotes which everyone knows - even though it doesn't exist)

So, what's the next step? It's amusing that down here in the "third world" when they decide to search my bag at the airport for prohibited items MY BAGS ARE OPENED BY ME AND SEARCHED IN FRONT OF ME - unlike in the "land of the free" where non-elected officials OPEN MY BAGS WITHOUT MY CONSENT OR WARRANT AND WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE BEHIND A SCREEN WHERE I'M NOT ALLOWED TO BE. I love my country and the principles she was founded upon - but I hate what they are doing to her in the name of "security". We are now neither secure nor free. Yeehaw.

Is there no organization willing to step to bat for us? What would it take to sue their socks off? That's the only way we CAN fight back since we're all scattered across the land and separated from each other so that marching on Washington and riding them all out of town on a rail is not an option. If we can hit them in the courts (before they slip further into serfdom and idiocy) then PERHAPS we can reclaim some of the freedoms that have been wrested from our grasp.

[Coldfingers]

I am glad I am not the only one who has exercised their right to not patronize a business that treats me like stuff.

There is nowhere I want to go that I cannot drive to in five days or less. Even though I have to make two border crossings (in and out of Canada) it is still less hassle and easier on my body than getting cavity searched and stuffed into a sardine can.

I did undergo some rather rough treatment at the Sweetgrass crossing (US Customs). Pimplefaced kid with a brand new gun and uniform who wanted to know my whole trip itinerary in the US...sheesh! By comparison, the Canadian customs agents have been well mannered and a pleasure to deal with.

Only drawback is I cannot get my handguns through CaNaDa. I keep one at my sons home in MT and pick it up just south of the border! I have one levergun that I have registered for Canadian travel and a Notarized Certificate of Ownership from US customs to alieviate the hassel getting it back into the US.

So much for freedom.

Scotty (who aint giving the airlines a single penny for their crappy treatment)

[Andrew]

I don't understand - what support for the government? We all think they are a bunch of JBT's (Jack Booted Thugs) - from the comments this seems to be the shared opinion...

Perhaps you mean out of this thread?

I believe he is talking about the so and so's that work for TSA. When they act like the way Sixgun described, not only enforcing the "rules"(the ones they remember) completely, but overstep them even. Such zealousy should be reserved for something else like your family or better yet time with God.

[DixieBoy]

Guys, I read the thread which re-posted Dave Grossman's "Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs" and this one, detailing the rotten treatment that Sixgun received at the airport, and the disrespectful handling of his personal belongings...and I wondered......are the utter jerks who treated Sixgun so poorly to be considered 'sheepdogs' ? Or 'wolves' ?

We all seem to be essentially on the same page. I'm disgusted with the treatment which many of the 'sheepdogs' seem to think that they can dole out to us sheep.

I believe that a nationwide petition drive needs to begin, and FORCE the issue of dissolving TSA. Congressional hearings need to be held, and people held accountable if they object to handing over security at our airports to respsonsible private sector companies.

While some may laugh at the idea of a petition drive, I believe that this is taking the high road. Especially if things reach the point where we, the citizens, find ourselves in the position of "altering or abolishing" our government.

I don't believe in abolishing our government, for the record. I sure as heck believe that it needs to be altered. Altered back to what the founding fathers intended, not the perverted joke that our government has become.

I always have believed that taking the "civilized" route was the way to go, even if we do end up with bloodshed to come over these issues. Having gone this route, we can meet our makers when the time comes with clean consciences, knowing that we had done all we could to avoid the violence which the process of cleaning up this government is sure to involve.

Sorry for the soapbox thing. Sixgun, your experience reminded me of an ordeal my parents went through about a year after the Sept. 11 attacks. My folks, today, are 90 (Dad) and 88 (Mom). When my nephew was married on the west coast, they flew for the first time in many years. Dad, a naval veteran of World War Two, was forced to sit still while my Mom was taken and searched. Does anyone in their right mind think that this 80-something year old woman (who met Dad at a USO dance in 1944) posed a threat to anyone's safety?

Dad tried to minimize this when he told me about it, but I could tell that he was upset. I wanted nothing more than to find the arrogant idiots who did this to them and beat the stuffing out of them. I still feel that way whenever I think about this. Sixgun, your story brings these same feelings to mind.

The icing on the cake is that a truly dangerous individual in the airport (let's say, a 20-something year old islamic fellow, travelling with a group of others like him, all sweating, and jabbering excitedly in Arabic) will NOT be subjected to the same treatment that either my folks, or Sixgun, were. That's because the so-called TSA people know that they'll be sued if they appear to be "harassing" the potential terrorists.

So, they go through the ridiculous dog and pony show of bullying peaceful citizens. Well, I, for one, will not only not fly again, but I am in favor of spotlighting every single abuse perpetrated by these creeps, and not letting up until they are either unemployed, in jail, or both.

Whew ! I've got to get to work now, but I'll check back tonight and see how many folks think I'm crazy. - DixieBoy