Oct 17 2008
Guns are Okay at Airports?!
Well this one is news to me. According to Federal Law, it is illegal to try and take a gun through an airport security checkpoint but it is legally okay to carry a gun throughout the rest of the terminal. The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) does not have authority to ban guns from airports under federal law.
A recently conducted survey by the Associated Press states that the following airports allow people with gun permits to carry firearms in the public areas of the airport terminal: Philadelphia, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Detroit, San Francisco and Minneapolis.
So, it’s okay to carry around a bottle of water, wear your shoes and even carry a gun, just as long as you don’t try to go through airport security with them. Interesting. I would think that in this day and age, metal detectors would be placed upon entering any airport terminal. But then again, that’s just my opinion in regards to passenger safety.
It would not be practical to secure entrances of airports, given that passengers may legitimately be bringing in “prohibited” items in their checked luggage. As the allowance of firearms in non-secured sections of airports has resulted in no violent crime within airports committed by an individual legally permitted to carry a firearm, there is no rational reason from prohibiting possession of concealed deadly weapons.