Ahab has another story of a gun owner who forgets he’s carrying and gets through security, then proceeds to “do the right thing” and tell the TSA about it.
If you get past security at an airport with a gun, leave the secured zone immediately and count your blessings. There is no get out of jail free card for doing “the right thing.” The right thing for you is not to confess to the authorities about the crime you just committed.
As I’ve said, he is lucky they didn’t charge him with a felony.
Well Hell, why didn’t he tell them he was planning on getting elected to something or becoming a cop and then they could have just let him because he “didn’t intend any harm” ? As I understand it that is SOP.
Why say anything? He made it in, they don’t check once your boarded. Authorities don’t value honesty anymore.
If that happened, I’d run, not walk back to my car, lock the firearm in the trunk, and then go back and catch my flight.
Yeesh.
Happened to me before in school only I had a knife. Realized I had it on my person. Went to the office, they took the knife, and gave me a week of OSS. Three days after my suspension was over had another knife on my person. Didn’t go to the office, went through the whole day with the knife, and avoided another suspension.
Ok, I say this as a person who has never carried anything larger or more deadly than a folding knife, and as only a part-time gunnut… but if a person “forgets” he or she is carrying, he or she really should start reconsidering the whole carrying concept from the ground up, at least in my opinion.
Being comfortable with it is one thing. Forgetting about it, when it is on your person, however… With complacency comes not only contempt, but stupdity, accidents, and other associated problems.
I posted a similar comment on Ahab’s site. Wasn’t the right thing at all. Just stupid. Assuming he was leaving his home area, he wouldn’t want to take it with him on the flight (even if one discounts the possibility of being caught and the attendant felony charge) because then he’d have to figure out a way to get it back home – lie to UPS?
You should read the secondary link in War on Guns on this subject.
It is horrifying.
As pointed out, kind of like a kid forgetting a pocket knife or craft knife: get caught, you’re in trouble, do the right thing and you’re STILL in trouble.