Passenger's weapon accidentally discharged at the Atlanta airport, causing panic and halting flight

[peppertree]

Source: CNN

The accidental discharge of a passenger's weapon in a security area of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport caused widespread panic Saturday afternoon, prompting a brief halt of departing flights over the busy travel weekend.

The passenger was going through the screening process around 1:30 p.m. when "somebody recognized that there was a weapon in the bag," airport spokesperson Andrew Gobeil told CNN's Jim Acosta.

"When either the officer went in or when the passenger went in to get it, it accidentally discharged," Gobeil said, and the loud noise created a "sense of chaos."

According to Gobeil, after the gun went off, the passenger "took off and was able to make it outside of the airport."

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/20/us/atlanta-airport-scare/index.html

---

[Sneederbunk]

1. "It just went off."

[Traildogbob]

2. Chill out

Self defense. It’s perfectly legal.

[japple]

12. Right...just a premature ejaculation!

[Pas-de-Calais]

3. Hopefully TSA has the name of the person

Who bought the ticket.
Track him down

[maxsolomon]

4. Pew pew pew, yee haw

The more guns, the more idiots with guns, the more idiotic gun incidents. It's statistics.

Stochastic terror everywhere masquerading as Freedom.

[iluvtennis]

5. Why was the gun loaded and going through TSA security. Requirement is that unloaded gun be in

checked baggage.

Transporting Firearms and Ammunition
You may transport unloaded firearms in a locked hard-sided container as checked baggage only. Declare the firearm and/or ammunition to the airline when checking your bag at the ticket counter.

Bringing an unloaded firearm with accessible ammunition to the security checkpoint carries the same civil penalty/fine as bringing a loaded firearm to the checkpoint. You may find information on civil penalties at the Civil Enforcement page.

Firearm parts, including magazines, clips, bolts and firing pins, are prohibited in carry-on baggage, but may be transported in checked baggage.

Fine is:
$3,000 - $10,000 + criminal referral / $10,000 - $13,910 + criminal referral (repeat violation)

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition

=====
This person should recieve maximum penalty - criminal referral and $13,910 fine.

[ShazzieB]

20. The owner of that gun is obviously an idiot.

No one with half a brain would try to get through a TSA checkpoint with a loaded gun in their freaking bag! The idea is ludicrous.

The TSA spotted the gun, which means the system was working correctly up to that point. The half-brained idiot gun owner tried to grab it when the TSA agent was attempting to remove it from the bag, and it went off (or the idiot fired it it off, we don't know at this point), giving the idiot a chance to escape in the confusion.

I'm sure he'll be tracked down soon. If he had a plane ticket, that means there was a record of his identity, so it's just a matter of time. He's obviously too stupid to be able to hide out effectively for very long.

[BobTheSubgenius]

43. It's still expensive, but the volume discount is nice.

[msfiddlestix]

68. ✔️

maybe it was a dry run? maybe it was an "undercover" testing security?

Oh wait! I think I know. It was one of Tucker Carlson's crew running a phony "sting" operation for a bogus story against Biden's administration. ?? (wouldn't put it past Carlson)

But seriously, good question. How in the hell did he think he could get through security?

e

[VGNonly]

6. It was a self-defense

accidental shooting, happens all the time,...chill.

[raccoon]

7. He needs to be... Incarcerated and put on the no-fly list for eternity. NT

[iluvtennis]

69. + agree about being put on no fly list for several years. n/t

[AllaN01Bear]

8. we havent been allowed to bring on shoes with explosives , pipe bombs

tweesers , scissors and pocket knives for how long and these so and sos get to bring on their fricken guns on a ac? i watched a pilot do a walk around of his ac on youtube and found a bullet hole had punctured the acs skin right where the pilot would have been sitting. he found the bullet in his chair. id hate to see an idiot " oopsies " fire his gun in the cabin of a ac and puncture the fuselage or shatter a window with forcible decompression ot the cabin in flight .makes me shivver .

[ShazzieB]

14. No, he wouldn't have gotten to bring it on.

The bag was scanned, and the TSA saw there was a gun there. They went for the suitcase to take it out.

The asshole escaped and will probably be tracked down via his ticket. NO ONE is saying he would have been allowed to get on the plane with a loaded gun in his carry on bag.

[rickford66]

23. The gun was spotted because of it's position.

If turned a certain way, it wouldn't look like a gun. I was trying to work for TSA and passed the scanning tests. It was hard to find something even when you were told it was there. Common objects rarely show up exactly as common objects.

[louis-t]

54. I went to Myrtle Beach once with an angled 3-inch

paintbrush in my carry on. I was helping a friend paint her condo. Brought my special brush. It got flagged. The guy wouldn't let me reach into the bag. I told him what it was. He agreed.

[rickford66]

58. I've been flagged for a "random" search twice as I was boarding.

It could have been my long hair, beard and dark Italian skin, but who knows.

[sarisataka]

63. Going through the Philly airport

I was chosen for a random search. The TSA person then asked if I was military traveling on orders, which fairly obviously I was.

He then says I can be excused and they pick the next in line which was a young Hispanic couple with four children ranging from about 5 to a baby in arms. I told him they don't look like terrorists so I will go through the extra search. Their look of gratitude still warms me years later.

[iluvtennis]

70. aww, love that story. 🥰

[KentuckyWoman]

49. I'll never forget when they took my lipstick.

Nothing else, just the lipstick. I said then and I still say the TSA agent liked it and just used her position to take it.

[orangecrush]

9. An idiot is going to prison

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. He'll get off on self defence. . . nt

[ShazzieB]

15. That's just silly.

The laws of the state of Wisconsin regarding self-defense with a firearm are ridiculous and gave Rottenhouse a get out of jail free card, but this incident will be covered by federal law, which is a completely different animal.

Just because one knucklehead literally got away with murder due to badly written state laws, doesn't mean every case in this country regarding a gun is going to turn out the same way from now on.

Now, go get some water and pour it on your head to put out that 🔥 in your hair!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

16. Name the Federal law you are so sure he will be tried and convicted of. . . . nt

[melm00se]

44. 49 CFR § 1540.111

[Bernardo de La Paz]

46. Okay, thanks. I see now that the poster I responded was referring to Atlanta and not Rittenhouse

... as to getting Federal charges.

There was some discussion about Rittenhouse getting Federal charges after his acquittal, and I was thinking of that scenario.

[melm00se]

47. In Rittenhouse's case

I think that the only charges that would survive an appeal would be a civil rights charge but that would be a significant hill to climb as none of the victims appear to be part of a protected class.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

17. You know little or nothing about any posts I have made on the Rittenhouse topic. . . nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. Of course I was being silly. You need a road map when I'm being wryly sarcastic?

[ShazzieB]

21. Evidently so.

[Devil Child]

40. A felon discharging a firearm at an airport?

No, he will face time.

[paleotn]

10. We live in a country of morons. Complete morons.

Bad enough having a gun in your bag going through TSA, but a gun with one in the pipe? What?! What the fucking hell is wrong with these people.

[NullTuples]

13. He or she may have been planning on defending themselves against a mask mandate.

Seems like that's what much of the violence on planes has been about, maybe this knucklehead thought he or she would enter into the situation prepared to defend themselves against the unarmed fight attendants enforcing mask wearing.

[Evolve Dammit]

18. "took off and was able to make it outside the airport." He buggered off. And they couldn't catch him

Yeah I'm feeling safe to fly here.... TSA states they can't keep up with the number of weapons. Great. So we do what Archie Bunker proposed in 1970. Let everybody pack heat. Is that where we are going? Take your shoes off though. Flying has sucked since 9-11 for law-abiders, that is for sure. And yet domestic "gun-owners" seem to feel entitled to sneak their weapons aboard.

[ShazzieB]

22. But don't forget, this one did not succeed.

The gun was caught by the x-ray scan, which is exactly what is supposed to happen.

Things went off track after that, but I'm sure they'll track him down before long. He had a plane ticket, which means they have a record of his identity. He won't be able to hide forever.

[Evolve Dammit]

24. How f'd up are you to feel you need to, or even try to bring a firearm aboard a flight today??

And it happens a lot according to TSA.

[oldsoftie]

34. I'll explain how I think some of it happens.

You have a bag you carry with you every day & you also carry a weapon. Its second nature. You take a flight and you take the bag you always carry & forget to take the gun out. You realize it too late. I know a couple people this has almost happened to; they've told me "I was getting my bags & remembered I still had the gun!"
I have a license & reason to carry but my bag is too trashy to take on a plane!

[Evolve Dammit]

45. you own a handgun and forget you have it on your person?? I couldn't drink enough or

hit my head hard enough to forget that. Sounds very irresponsible to the point a judge should take them away (defendant and gun(s).

[oldsoftie]

48. Its not on my person. Its in the bag. Could also happen if you carry a knife.

When I DO have it on my person, yes, you always know its there. But then you have to get used to it to the point that you dont constantly "touch" it. I'm referring to a concealed carry. I never open carry. I think open carry is for suckers & show offs & people trying to intimidate others.
And of course my examples are anecdotal too, but look where most of the guns are found. Areas where people are far more likely to have one. Still NO excuse.

[KentuckyWoman]

50. actually, the design of the Atlanta airport it would not be that difficult.

You can bet they'll be adding some barriers to make getting out of line once in it more difficult.

[Calista241]

53. Atlanta has a no pursuit police policy.

Which is why he got away.

[Evolve Dammit]

55. never heard of that before. So they just let criminals scamper off?

[Calista241]

56. Yep. Unless they've committed a felony, and even then they have to get permission.

[Evolve Dammit]

57. Bizzare. What is the rationale behind that?

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

65. This info is about 4 years old but...

...I worked in Atlanta for a bit over 2 years and flew there almost every week. As I remember ATL chechpoints the domestic terminal TSA is on ground level at end near the T concourse. The hard barriers are after the screening area to segregate the uncleared out of the secure gate spaces. At the point where a bag would be getting searched, this person would be beyond the body scanners and at the end of the carry-on clear/suspect conveyor. Any airport security and regular police staff would roving and generally not within arm's reach of any particular person. There are 3 TSA scanner locations there and both the central and South side checkpoints have few obstacles between the checkpoint and the S2 and S1 doors to the parking area.

The screener at the bag viewing station should be electronically tagging a bag with a firearm as "high threat" requiring the bag inspector to move it manually off the conveyor to the inspection area. It sounds to me like both the screener and inspector did their jobs and that the overall system prevented an armed person from gaining entry to secured area.

As far as the police rationale explanation, I suspect pursuits of all types frequently become dangerous both to LE and bystanders. Better to defuse that by not giving the individual a reason to begin shooting or engage in a high speed chase if he is or becomes mobile. That airport has numerous cameras and lots of video monitoring around the exits. Entering the checkpoint requires photo ID that is electronically checked and validated. Any such person will be recognized electronically and have warrants issued.

TSA is currently upgrading standard X-ray scanners to higher resolution CT based equipment.

ATL is a very busy airport and a hub for a major carrier. The city of Atlanta is very Democratic and part of a large metro area that includes some very red towns. Kennesaw in Cobb County IIRC still has a law on the books requiring homeowners to own a firearm. While the law has no prescribed punishments and isn't enforced, it does characterize the area. The local joke is that the highway through Cobb County has ONLY A FAR RIGHT LANE.

Air travel dangers are currently mostly from the virus. Armed aggressors are much lower as probable threats.

[Evolve Dammit]

66. Thanks very much for the insight. You know the area and airport well. "Far right only"

lane. Probably what Jesus would have wanted... So tired of faux xtains hiding behind guns and the flag. Take care out there.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

67. You take care as well.

I know parts of a few airports very well. ATL, DTW, GRR, BOS and LAX are rather familiar. PHL is my home airport and I know almost all of it very well except I haven't been in terminal E since Northwest became part of Delta.

I worked in Atlanta for 2 years and know a bit of the city and the airport. In the right places you can have food delivered till 2 or 3 AM.

I'm a non-faux Christian and I'm used to being lumped in with the fauxs (or foes as I see it.)

Have a great Thanksgiving.

[Evolve Dammit]

71. Thanks much. You as well.

[Lasher]

25. They know who he is

Police search for convicted felon responsible for accidental gun discharge at Airport

Police are actively searching for Kenny Wells, 42, for accidentally firing his weapon at the Atlanta airport earlier Saturday afternoon.

The search comes after Wells was in the middle of the screening check points at the Main Security Gate, when somehow they recognized there was a weapon in the bag. When either the officer went in or the passenger went in to get it, it accidentally discharged, according to the Director of Communications.

https://www.cbs46.com/news/police-search-for-convicted-felon-responsible-for-accidental-gun-discharge-at-airport/article_59d18baa-4a34-11ec-9fb1-7bb49572b197.html

[peppertree]

26. +1

This is a great stand-alone thread.

Thanks for finding and posting this!

[PSPS]

27. Nice. Another "convicted felon" smuggling a loaded gun onto a airplane. Lovely.

[oldsoftie]

35. Well, that'll get you 5 yrs I think. nt

[BigmanPigman]

28. How do you forget you have a gun in your luggage???????

Something is really wrong with the idiots in this country. They will find the asshole and I hope he has to pay from his personal assets until every passenger going through the inconvenience and cost of missed flights, etc is reimbursed. If this takes his lifetime then good! Die broke and stupid. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

29. Last month, the agency reported catching 4,650 firearms -- a majority of them loaded -- at security

"Last month, the agency reported catching 4,650 firearms -- a majority of them loaded -- at security checkpoints in the first 10 months of 2021. That number surpassed the full-year record of 4,432, set in 2019. "

When the fuck will our politicians stop cowering to the NRA and gun nuts and start passing meaningful legislation that would slow this kind of shit down?

[IronLionZion]

30. As long as TSA screens for brown skin instead of weapons

we can see how super safe we all are flying the friendly skies while people like me get felt up extra carefully despite having TSA precheck and global entry.

I'm aware that Kenny Wells is black. TSA screens for brown not black. They look for people who look like H-1bs rather than guns or knives or explosives. They don't know what Muslims look like so they go for brown. They're never going to catch a real terrorist. It's all just painfully outdated kabuki theater to give whites the illusion of safety.

[PSPS]

31. It apparently was not an "accidental discharge."

From: https://www.11alive.com/article/travel/delta-airlines-issues-travel-waiver-atl-airport-weapon-discharge/85-ff42bc15-71cf-4f8f-8a2c-f5d7f3456b33

Authorities are actively searching for the passenger, identified as 42-year-old Kenny Wells by the Atlanta Police Department. APD said Wells is a convicted felon, and there was a warrant out for his arrest prior to Saturday's incident at the airport.

The incident happened around 1:30 p.m., and during the chaos, three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries and received medical attention, the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement.

Authorities said a TSA officer identified a prohibited item via the X-Ray and proceeded with a bag search.APD said Wells grabbed the gun, it fired and he then ran off with the weapon. Officials said Wells is facing charges including the possession of an firearm of a convicted felon, discharge of a firearm by a convicted felon and reckless conduct.

So now we have another illegally-armed wanted felon on the run. What a country!

[AverageOldGuy]

32. Clearly a case of self-defense. . .

After all, you never know when you might encounter a plane filled with anti-fa!!!!

[ashredux]

33. An idiot...you don't carry a loaded weapon in you bag....

Is there anyone out there who does not know it is illegal to bring a firearm on to an airplane.?

[malthaussen]

36. There are no "accidental" discharges of firearms. n/t

[twodogsbarking]

37. Is this unusual?

[taxi]

42. Recidivism among the paroled? nah.

Maybe the decisive nature of his chosen route home was though.

[Historic NY]

38. And here is the jackass convicted felon...

[link:https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta-airport-says-gun-accidentally-discharged-no-active-shooter/3S5DE7YMXVEYNFQ7YRKIWZYH6A/|]

[twodogsbarking]

39. Santa has scratched him off his list.

[llmart]

41. By the end of the holiday weekend...

and because more people are flying this year, we're going to read about more incidents of Americans doing stupid things. I feel for the airport workers and those working the flights.

[KG]

51. so relieved - worried it was one of them law abiding gun owners

[C Moon]

52. He's in big trouble because it wasn't an assault rifle, and there was no protest going on.

[mickbiden2]

59. Passenger's weapon accidentally discharged at the Atlanta airport, causing panic and halting flig

hello,

Thank you so much for sharing this helpful information, it helped me alot

Thanks and regards.

[marble falls]

60. Where do you keep your firearm?

[FSogol]

61. Probably the sock drawer!

[marble falls]

62. ...

[Sancho]

64. People Control, Not Gun Control

This is my generic response to gun threads where people are shot and killed by the dumb or criminal possession of guns. For the record, I grew up in the South and on military bases. I was taught about firearms as a child, and I grew up hunting, was a member of the NRA, and I still own guns. In the 70’s, I dropped out of the NRA because they become more radical and less interested in safety and training. Some personal experiences where people I know were involved in shootings caused me to realize that anyone could obtain and posses a gun no matter how illogical it was for them to have a gun. Also, easy access to more powerful guns, guns in the hands of children, and guns that weren’t secured are out of control in our society. As such, here’s what I now think ought to be the requirements to possess a gun. I’m not debating the legal language, I just think it’s the reasonable way to stop the shootings. Notice, none of this restricts the type of guns sold. This is aimed at the people who shoot others, because it’s clear that they should never have had a gun.

1.) Anyone in possession of a gun (whether they own it or not) should have a regularly renewed license. If you want to call it a permit, certificate, or something else that's fine.
2.) To get a license, you should have a background check, and be examined by a professional for emotional and mental stability appropriate for gun possession. It might be appropriate to require that examination to be accompanied by references from family, friends, employers, etc. This check is not to subject you to a mental health diagnosis, just check on your superficial and apparent gun-worthyness.
3.) To get the license, you should be required to take a safety course and pass a test appropriate to the type of gun you want to use.
4.) To get a license, you should be over 21. Under 21, you could only use a gun under direct supervision of a licensed person and after obtaining a learner’s license. Your license might be restricted if you have children or criminals or other unsafe people living in your home. (If you want to argue 18 or 25 or some other age, fine. 21 makes sense to me.)
5.) If you possess a gun, you would have to carry a liability insurance policy specifically for gun ownership - and likely you would have to provide proof of appropriate storage, security, and whatever statistical reasons that emerge that would drive the costs and ability to get insurance.
6.) You could not purchase a gun or ammunition without a license, and purchases would have a waiting period.
7.) If you possess a gun without a license, you go to jail, the gun is impounded, and a judge will have to let you go (just like a DUI).
8.) No one should carry an unsecured gun (except in a locked case, unloaded) when outside of home. Guns should be secure when transporting to a shooting event without demonstrating a special need. Their license should indicate training and special carry circumstances beyond recreational shooting (security guard, etc.). If you are carrying your gun while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you lose your gun and license.
9.) If you buy, sell, give away, or inherit a gun, your license information should be recorded.
10.) If you accidentally discharge your gun, commit a crime, get referred by a mental health professional, are served a restraining order, etc., you should lose your license and guns until reinstated by a serious relicensing process.

Most of you know that a license is no big deal. Besides a driver’s license you need a license to fish, operate a boat, or many other activities. I realize these differ by state, but that is not a reason to let anyone without a bit of sense pack a semiautomatic weapon in public, on the roads, and in schools. I think we need to make it much harder for some people to have guns.

[ancianita]

73. We have thousands of people trying to board while carrying guns. 80% of the guns are loaded.

The TSA said it seized 391 firearms at Hartsfield-Jackson airport in the first nine months of 2021.
That was up from 220 last year when passenger counts were down significantly because of the pandemic.
But it also was a big jump from 2019, when 323 firearms were seized in Atlanta.

Hartsfield-Jackson is one of the nation’s busiest airports, though other U.S. airports rival its passenger screening numbers.

Dallas Forth Worth International Airport was second on the TSA’s list, with 232 firearms seized by Oct. 3.

2019 -- 4,432 airline passengers stopped from carrying firearms onto their flights
2021 -- 4,495 stopped, with a month left to count

The rate is up from 5 per million in 2019 to 11 per million in 2021.