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Bullets found on Southwest flight by CNN photographer going to cover Sarah Palin
Let your kids kick the seats in front of them: it could save your life. If you're the passenger being inconvenienced, it may behoove you to find a way to cope.A kid who would otherwise be branded a royal pain found a loaded gun magazine ... that should have been in the hands of a law enforcement official ... on a Southwest Airlines flight. To make matters worse, the media was actually on the plane!
1. A kid was sitting on his mother's lap during a flight from Burbank, California to Phoenix, Arizona
2. The plane landed, and the kid crawled across the seats in his row
3. His foot knocked an item to the floor – it was a loaded gun magazine
4. A flight attendant picked it up, but not before someone from a CNN crew, photographer Gregg Canes, saw it
5. The CNN passenger asked to take pictures of it, but the flight attendant would not let him
6. The gun magazine was turned over to the authorities
It's that simple, folks ... but it does get a lot more interesting.
According to a statement by Southwest, "The item was immediately turned over to the crew working the flight who called in the local authorities to handle the investigation," continuing, "The passengers who were remaining on that flight were rescreened and the plane was thoroughly inspected before returning to service." They were ten allowed to get off the plane.
Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King told CNN that the officer who left the gun mag behind did follow the proper procedures to bring his gun on the plane. CNN adds:
Canes put it best: "It was actually almost funny, given the amount of scrutiny that we've been paying to the [Transportation Security Administration] and personal security. It seemed almost funny to see a magazine with bullets in it just sort of lying on the floor of a commercial jetliner."
Need a bit of irony to round this out? Canes must have been in a gun state of mind; he was headed to Phoenix to cover a Sarah Palin book signing.
[photo by gcfairch via Flickr]
Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King told CNN that the officer who left the gun mag behind did follow the proper procedures to bring his gun on the plane. CNN adds:
"The full magazine was found in a back seat pocket," a TSA official told CNN. "We believe it was left by a law enforcement officer on a flight that originated in San Jose and landed in Burbank. The officer was not an air marshal and we are trying to establish contact with the agent."
Canes put it best: "It was actually almost funny, given the amount of scrutiny that we've been paying to the [Transportation Security Administration] and personal security. It seemed almost funny to see a magazine with bullets in it just sort of lying on the floor of a commercial jetliner."
Need a bit of irony to round this out? Canes must have been in a gun state of mind; he was headed to Phoenix to cover a Sarah Palin book signing.
[photo by gcfairch via Flickr]
Filed under: North America, United States, Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mapsmith Nov 24th 2010 9:46AM
I find it disturbing that a Law Enforcement Officer was able to remove a Clip from a gun or carryon and put it in the seat pocket. I was under the impression that Law Enforcement that is allowed to Carry weapons on aircraft must keep the weapon secure for the entire flight. This shows that he either took out the clip from the gun or from the carryon. This should not happen and the Officer should be reprimanded at least, or have his rights to carry on aircraft removed.
This is poor handling of Weaponry in any and all cases.
DM Nov 24th 2010 10:14AM
@MAPSMITH there is a difference between a 'clip' and a 'magazine'. Please learn it.
mapsmith Nov 24th 2010 2:08PM
Okay, DM, there is a difference. The problem is that it was a "Loaded Magazine". It still shows remarkable lack of proper weapons handling, particularly when left behind. The weapons and ammunition should not be available and/or out during the flight--period. In this case a "Loaded Magazine" had to have been taken out during a flight. Poor weapons handling.
Malaycobra Nov 24th 2010 1:01PM
Hey Tom!
How was this risking anyone's life?
Now a loaded gun in the hands of a child is one thing, but this was a basically inert, harmless item.
Lets not get too sensationalist, shall we?
Having said that, whoever dropped this needs his arse kicked.
Zotter Nov 24th 2010 9:12PM
mapsmith
1 - magazines, loaded or not are not dangerous. Well, if you picked it up and used it as a hammer, you may bruise someone - but nothing 'goes off'.
2 - most LEOs carry more than one magazine. It is entirely possible the agent had a spare mag that was uncomfortable and slipped it into the backseat pocket. All without ever touching his sidearm.
3 - The article itself is a sensationalist piece of dren.