Please give me some insight as to what you would do in this situation:
You are in any given area generally known to be off-limits to weapons of any kind- for example, and airport.
Just as you are about to walk through a metal detector, you realize that you are armed! After cursing yourself for being so stupid, you determine that you have just a second to make a decision.
If the weapon is a firearm, I'd try and back out saying, "Oh crap! I just remembered I left my wallet in my car, then proceed to gather my stuff and leave.
If my shoes and other items were already through the xray machine, then I guess honesty is the best policy.
I'd ask to speak with a supervisor to the side BEFORE I went through the detector, hopefully in private, and explain myself and my mistake.
Depending of the state and laws, I suppose at the very least I face arrest for concealed weapons charges, and you never know, I might (doubtful) be able to get out of there sans handcuffs. If it's a knife, depending of the value, I'd either toss it, or leave the airport if I did not want to part with it.
If it's a BIG knife, or illegal knife or weapon, and I had no other option to not draw attention to myself as a suspicious person, I would again, come clean.
Not sure if any of these are the "best" courses of action, but one thing I do know, is that I would never be caught in that situation to begin with.
If the weapon is a firearm, I'd try and back out saying, "Oh crap! I just remembered I left my wallet in my car, then proceed to gather my stuff and leave.
Of course, an aware TSA employee would realize that you would have already had to show an ID to get that far in the check in line and since most folks carry their ID in their wallet...... Might arouse someone's curiousity.
I travel with a great deal of weapons consisting of small arms, knives to larger weapons, chemical muntions even explosives....
I have gone through the metal detectors at the airport within the past few years and FORGOT to secure everything from a small knife, gun and even a grenade.
Once I did not even realize I had it until I sat down in the plane...scary uh....!
When I set off metal detectors I usually put my hands up to not cause more alarm then already started...and tell them my name, position, and show then my ID...
Only once was I proned out and then after the confusion cleared so did I...I missed my flight but got a free lunch out of it....
It is a catch 22....needless to say embarasing...
I have a question for you....HOW DID YOU FEEL if it happened to you?
Rising Star wrote:Of course, an aware TSA employee would realize that you would have already had to show an ID to get that far in the check in line and since most folks carry their ID in their wallet...... Might arouse someone's curiousity.
My understanding is that if you even enter a terminal carrying a weapon, you may be criminally charged
This applies to sterile areas only. The federal law does not apply to the ticketing, bagagge pickup etc. Just do not got through the security gate. Private and business airports or their portion of the comercial airport have different rules.
In Virginia a state law was passed to prohibit weapons in the entire civilian aviaition area. At one point some jurisdictions even applied that to the parking areas and pick-up/drop-off points. That has been clarified and anywhere outside the sterile area and building or in the parking area is ok.
The airport authority in Northern VA that administers Dulles and the parking areas and surrounding connection roads posted everything as being no weapons zones. Fortunately the state preemption laws were upheld and the signs came down.
Know your local laws.
In VA we were allowed in the terminal's non sterile areas until recently. A few folks who carried openly because they could caused enough post 9/11 false alarms that we lost that right. Concealed carry is better even if open carry is allowed. Just too many sheeple out there who get upset at the sight of a firearm.
A friend of mine's Dad accidentally left a .357 Magnum in his suitcase. It went through the airport and customs with no problem. Imagine his shock when he opened his suitcase on the cruiseship he was on and found his gun.
