baggage handler ran guns on 17 Delta flights

[ExXB]

Earl, you forgot one bit.

You cannot import guns into New York without various licenses and permits. Even in/as checked bags.

But you can buy guns on-line in Georgia without a background check, and if you can get them to New York, there are lots of black-hats there that are happy to pay a large premium. And who would suspect guns being shipped by air?

From Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence ? Gun Law Information Experts :

Among other things, New York:
Requires all private firearm sales, including those at a gun show, to be processed through a licensed dealer, who conducts a background check;
Requires firearms dealers to obtain a state license;
Bans most assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines;
Requires anyone purchasing or possessing a handgun to first obtain a license, after a background check, and requires the license to specify all the handguns owned by the license holder;
Requires firearm owners to report lost or stolen firearms or ammunition to law enforcement;
Prohibits the manufacture and assembly of certain “unsafe handguns”;
Regulates ammunition sales by requiring that sales be conducted through a licensed dealer and only after a background check is conducted on the purchaser. Ammunition sales must generally be conducted in person;
Requires that safe storage practices be used by a person who lives with someone who is prohibited from possessing a firearm; and
Maintains a statewide database of firearms licenses and records related to convictions, mental health, protective orders, and other factors that would affect the possession of firearms.
New York does not impose a waiting period prior to the purchase of a firearm (although it may take up to six months to obtain a license to purchase a handgun).
Local governments in New York possess authority to regulate firearms or ammunition, and local law enforcement has discretion regarding whether to issue or deny a concealed handgun permit.
In 2010 (the last year for which data is available), New York had the fourth lowest number of gun deaths per capita among the states. Guns originally purchased in New York are recovered after being used in crimes in other states at the second lowest rate per capita among the states, according to data published by Mayors Against Illegal Guns. In fact, New York exports crime guns at a rate less than one-sixth the national average. New York imports crime guns from other states at seven times the rate it exports such guns. This means that, unlike states with weaker gun laws, New York is not a common source of crime guns used in other states.

Let's not turn this into a debate on guns, there is JB for that.

[Jabawocky]

The TSA is a JOKE, from start to finish.

There are far too many of them standing around bored , thus no security value. The collective IQ of the masses barely rates that of one decent security guard.

I have carried by accident excessive liquid contents in my cary on, Duty free from an inbound sector, which should have been put in checked luggage, but I forgot. Straight through. Not even a question asked. And not just once.

Take a box of aviation spark plugs though….

But it gets better. My wife and daughter managed to end up with each others passport. One gets through The other does not. You should have seen the distress when my daughter at my direction was asked to come backwards through the system to fix the stuff up. The TSA were like "deer in headlights" at first but I had the deal done before they could stop me. And they were never going to stop me either. MORONS!!

So ask yourself how the passports were swapped…….yep the TSA The moron doing the pre screening, as my caught was with my wife at that point and our son with me.

I could go on and on…….and I am an Aussie that does only an average of 5-6 sectors a year in the USA, some years less.

I feel for the locals.

It is a gross waste of time money and agro and could be replaced very easily with something effective for a fraction of the cost….if the government allowed some intelligent folk to design a way.

Sadly after this revelation, the terrorist idiots who are all of a sudden rising out of their holes at the moment, now have a much better idea of how to bypass the TSA. I bet there are at least 100 employees(airline and TSA) in the USA already with strong IS sympathies. They are just as likely to be motivated to action as anyone of the idiots in France lately.

Time to rethink how we do security.

[Beausoleil]

I fly through the USA a lot and so far have never found TSA people anything other than careful, calm and courteous.

I do see a lot of pompous travellers though.

[Jabawocky]

Yeah….to be fair there have been plenty of polite and nice folk too, but surrounded by a lot of "not so effective" folk doing a job that is not providing the outcome we expect it to.

Heck, I have seen it here in Australia first hand. They (security providers) are no better here if that matters.

[Airbubba]

Looks like the feds are now busting the feds on the ATL-LGA route:

FAA Employee Arrested After Flying With Gun in Carry-On

FAA security inspector arrested after flying from Atlanta to New York with gun in carry-on

The Associated Press

ATLANTA Jan 16, 2015, 7:36 PM ET

A Federal Aviation Administration employee is under investigation after flying from Atlanta to New York with a gun in his carry-on.

Transportation Security Administration officials said in a statement Friday that the Atlanta-based FAA safety inspector was arrested at LaGuardia Airport after a gun was found during a security check.

Authorities say the employee on Tuesday used a badge to gain access to a secure area of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and bypassed TSA screening. FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in a statement that the agency has ordered the suspension of the program allowing safety inspectors to bypass security screening.

The arrest comes less than a month after investigators uncovered a gun-smuggling scheme involving current and former airline employees and planes flying from Atlanta to New York. Authorities pledged stricter employee screening after the operation was uncovered.

FAA Employee Arrested After Flying With Gun in Carry-On - ABC News

[Interflug]

Why do people wonder if it makes sense to smuggle guns from Atlanta to New York on a plane? Nobody said these guns intended final destination was New York?
The statement reads that the guns were handed over airside at the departure airport. These guns could then have gone anywhere on the planet, only in transit in a New York airport without further security checks.

[Vulcancruiser]

In the end you have to trust somebody to get the job done. For years the unscreened employees of the USA have done a fine job with almost zero problems. Now that we have the hype of big government we will spend billions to find that "perfect security" will remain a myth. Security is an illusion.

[gtf]

What is mind boggling...

But in US airport workers are not screened?
Mind boggling...

... is that instead of demanding screening for all, other industry professionals who have to be screened express outrage and demand exemption too because they wear a uniform (no, not TSA).

[20driver]

Guns to NYC

The guns were being sold in New York. As a part of a sting by NYPD they were watching these guys. What they could not figure out was how the guns were getting to New York. The police figured they were being driven up I-95 by a courier. Eventually the penny dropped when they realized the guy worked for Delta and was carrying the iron himself.
If it was not for the NYPD this would never have come to light. It was not the TSA or anything to do with the airlines that busted the guy(s).

[twochai]

Wondering out loud

CAVOK, you have that exactly right!
The dog and pony show at all airports except Ben Gurion is just that! The Isralis are interested in you, not particularly in what you're carrying. The results speak for themselves.

Security is an illusion

Remember the Maginot Line - oh, but that's just boring history!