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Loaded Magazine Left on Plane

by Jordan Yerman | November 24, 2010 at 04:29 pm

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Loaded Magazine Found Aboard Plane

There is no point in going through porno scanners and gate gropes if you can just pick up your ammo on the plane, thoughtfully left behind by a federal law enforcement officer.... because that's just what happened.

A child found a loaded pistol magazine in a seatback pocket as a flight from Burbank, CA landed in Phoenix, AZ.

Now, be fair: we're only so hard on aviation security officials is because they keep doing silly things.

"It belonged to a member of federal law enforcement," John Pistole said of the magazine, adding it was not believed to belong to a federal air marshal.

So Pistole is saying, "We think we know who brought a gun onto a plane, but we're not sure". Okay (well, not okay at all, but moving right along), but why was this maybe-not-an-air-marshal stripping his weapon in coach class? In other words, why was there ever a situation in which ammunition for a firearm was left in the same seatback pocket as used chewing gum and those itchy earphones?
That's not the sort of magazine for which those pockets were designed.

"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 (California) and landed in Burbank. The officer was not an air marshal and we are trying to establish contact with the agent."

Pistole promised that the officer who left his ammunition aboard a plane will receive "remedial training". We hope that means "not allowed to even look at a firearm while on duty".