Ok guys... the best part of all this is that the pilot who "accidentally" let one go, is a FED. HAHAHA..... Only in the U.S.A.
I believe he's a fed only in as much as he's a "Federal Flight Deck Officer" which is the title accorded to those who complete the training program to be able to carry a gun on the flight deck.
The TSA essentially deputizes pilots as law enforcement officers in the limited capacity of being the approved man with a gun on the plane. This is no doubt because only law enforcement gets to carry on aircraft.