Airline Ticket Holder: ‘Oh, no. Did I forget my gun?’
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three men in the past four days have been arrested at Austin-Bergstrom International
Airport and charged with attempting to carry firearms through security checkpoints. At 5:31 a.m.
Monday, TSAworkers caught one of the men, Ray Glen Duhon, 58, allegedly carrying a black Glock pistol in the bottom of hiscarry-on bag.
According to the police affidavit, a police officer arrived, pulled Duhon’s bag off the X-ray machine and asked the crowd of people in the security area to whom the bag belonged.
Duhon then allegedly said, “Oh, no. Did I forget my gun?” according to the affidavit.
About six hours later, another traveler, Christopher William Lewis, 50, allegedly passed a Heckler and Koch 9-
millimeter handgun through another X-ray machine. The gun was loaded with eight bullets, an affidavit states.
And last Friday, Corin David Douglas, 30, was caught allegedly passing a loaded .40-caliber handgun through an ABIA X-ray machine. TSA caught the weapon and called police.
All three men were charged with bringing a weapon into a prohibited place, a third-degree felony.
According to court documents, neither Douglas or Duhon had a concealed handgun license.
With the common knowledge of the ultra-tight airport security, the majority of people who attempt to pass through the TSA checkpoints with firearms simply forgot to remove them from their bag. I assume these three cases are no different.
It’s a harmless mistake, but it should still be taken seriously in times like these.
Many travelers already feel anxious about the flight ahead of them, and watching TSA agents discover firearms while in line just adds to their worry.
The problem can easily be avoided.
Regardless of their intentions, these three culprits should be seen as examples of what not to do.
They tarnish our reputation as gun owners with their behavior.
On the other hand, why not allow some type of special concealed license to carry on airplanes?
If it were legal and regulated, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.
With the proper gun safety training and an extensive background check of each applicant, these individuals could potentially stop an airborne terrorist attack if they had a concealed firearm at their side.
These special concealed permit holders, a civilian air marshal if you will, would present their firearm and documents to TSA
personnel at all security checkpoints.
This idea may not be as farfetched as the anti-gun crowd may make it out to be.
Just like concealed carry permit holders on the ground, these qualified citizens could do a lot of good for those in need of
defense.
