A loaded semiautomatic weapon passed undetected through TSA checkpoint, onto plane

Earlier this month, Southwest passenger Blake Alford inadvertently brought a semi-automatic weapon loaded with hollow-point bullets onto his flight. After arriving in his Chicago hotel and discovering that he had forgotten to remove the weapon from his carry-on bag, he realized that TSA agents in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport had failed to discover the gun, and felt obligated to share his story. "My first thought was 'Oh, Mother of God, what have I done?" Alford said.

The 67-year-old George man says that on Monday, November 5, he, his girlfriend and her son flew from Atlanta to Chicago Midway Airport. When he hurriedly packed on the morning of the trip, he put his computer and some other items inside his backpack, on top of a loaded Ruger .380 semiautomatic handgun that had been forgotten inside the bag. Alford is an approved PreCheck member, who submitted to a full scan and passed through airport security exactly as he should have, but TSA failed to detect the loaded weapon.

Alford shared his concern over the incident with reporters:

"How could the TSA not have spotted it? Especially as it was just a few days after the Russian plane blew up. I'm a law-abiding citizen, but what if I was someone with terrorist motives? I have a carry permit — but not for carrying on airplanes."

The TSA has vowed to beef up security measures in Atlanta, and is promising an investigation into where agents went wrong on the day of Alford's flight. TSA spokesperson Michael England told RWV that the agency has had a 22% increase in firearms discoveries this year compared to last. Of this latest incident, England said:

“TSA continues to review this claim and will take necessary action if substantiated. TSA is rigorous in its screening of passengers and their luggage. If we find that standard procedures were not adhered to, we will retrain employees as necessary to ensure compliance with standard operating procedures. When our employees fail to meet standards, we hold them appropriately accountable.

TSA employs a robust security system involving multiple layers of security, both seen and unseen, to protect the traveling public, including a well-trained frontline workforce, state-of-the-art technologies, intelligence analysis and information sharing, and explosives detection.”

Many thanks to Mr. Alford for sharing his experience and shining a spotlight on a potentially dangerous security vulnerability.