X-ray machines fail to detect assault weapon

[JLinTX]

Note: Since posting this the link appears to have disappeared. -- Im no sure if its real or not.
===
http://www.promoinnovations.com/xray.htm

X-ray machines fail to detect assault weapon

Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said today that he will issue a warning to other police agencies after his officers seized an assault weapon made with so little metal it does not clearly show up on a security X-ray.

Narcotics officers found the Professional Ordnance Carbon-15 Type-97 pistol in the car of a drug suspect in Newark and noticed it was a cut above the usual weaponry employed by local drug dealers, Fontoura said.

Officers in his ballistics laboratory, who said they had never seen an assault weapon made with so much plastic, had it taken to Newark Liberty International Airport earlier today for a test-run through the security scanners — minus its 30-round clip.

The image on the X-ray appeared as a straight metal rod, with no outline of a stock or a trigger guard, something an inattentive security guard may view as no more threatening than a curling iron, the sheriff said.

“When I saw the image, I was shocked by how much didn’t show up,� said Lt. Dennis Hultay, head of the sheriff’s ballistics lab.

Fontoura said he was concerned the weapons, small enough to be tucked in a briefcase, could pass unnoticed not only at the airport but at also at entrances to courthouses and other public buildings.

He said the weapon’s .223-caliber ammunition travels at a speed of 2,500 feet per second, fast enough to penetrate a bullet-proof vest.

“This a nasty weapon,� he said. “That’s the ammunition we’re using in Iraq. If we’re not alert, this could go right past security.�

Joseph Green, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said federal law requires firearms be made with sufficient metal content to be detectable at security checkpoints.

He said he could not immediately determine whether this weapon met those requirements but said the agency encouraged the sheriff to pass the word if he believes it poses a threat. He said the ATF would look into the matter if it was asked to by the sheriff.

Mark Hatfield Jr., acting director of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration office at Newark Airport, stopped short of labeling the weapon a threat, but said the test run would help his officers be more vigilant.

Contributed by William Kleinknecht and Ron Marsico
Star Ledger, NJ

---------------------------------

Comment: Just what we need to give them another excuse to limit our 2a rights.

Jim

[KinnyLee]

Officers in his ballistics laboratory, who said they had never seen an assault weapon made with so much plastic, had it taken to Newark Liberty International Airport earlier today for a test-run through the security scanners — minus its 30-round clip.

I hated it when they use incorrect terms!

[jbirds1210]

blah blah blah

If I recall.....9/11 was the result of sharp instruments and determination. I have seen countless little CIA "letter opener" style knives all over the place and do not see stories written about them. An x-ray would not pick them up either.

Statements comparing the ammunition to what is being used in Iraq is nothing but rhetoric used by the anti-gun crowd. If someone is able to sneak a weapon past a "security" point does it really matter what caliber it is? In my opinion, this calls for an improvement of security methods.

These kind of articles crawl under my skin.....it is obvious they are trying to pass a much bigger message than the invent of a carbon rifle/pistol and its ability to get through x-ray detection.
Jason

[MikeJ]

Um... How easy is it to sneak the ammo past the X-ray machine? Without mags and ammo, a highjacker would be better off with a box cutter. Of course, this logic will be beyond the capacity of the anti-gunners.

[j1132s]

I own a Bushmaster carbon 15 type 97 (and before this I owned a type 21), very similar to the weapon mentioned above.

The whole barrel and bolt carrier, bolt, buffer spring are stainless steel, and this is about 20-24" long. A 20" curling iron?

Also, this weapon has no sights, so the scope/dot/whatever sight would also show up on the xray.

This weapon isn't an assult weapon, it is too fragile to be one.

[Chris]

Um... How easy is it to sneak the ammo past the X-ray machine? Without mags and ammo, a highjacker would be better off with a box cutter. Of course, this logic will be beyond the capacity of the anti-gunners.

apparently pretty freakin easy. i didn't know i had a speed strip full of bullets in the pocket of the jacket i was wearing until after i'd passed security, boarded the plane, landed, and arrived back at my hotel. i distincly remember watching my jacket go through that little metal detector with the kid running it staring straight at it.

on the flight back, i told the TSA guy about the speed strip (this is 5 little rounds of .357 magnum). by then, i'd put it in a plastic q-tip case i found and tucked it into my checked baggage. not only did they have to search through my dirty clothes to find that speed strip, but it took 3 of them to do it.

i've come to the conclusion that we are no more safer now than before 9/11. the chimps that work for TSA are not going to stop a plane from being hijacked. the PO'ed passengers who won't tolerate it will. unless you tell TSA you have something, they'll never know it's there. a true waste of taxpayer money.

[MikeJ]

apparently pretty freakin easy. i didn't know i had a speed strip full of bullets in the pocket of the jacket i was wearing until after i'd passed security, boarded the plane, landed, and arrived back at my hotel. i distincly remember watching my jacket go through that little metal detector with the kid running it staring straight at it.

That's pretty amazing, Chris. Every time I've flown, before or after 9/11, I've had to practically strip down to my skivvies. I exaggerate only slightly. I've always had to empty my pockets (wallet, keys, change) and take off my NRA belt buckle to get through the metal detector. I make a point to leave my Swiss Army knife at home or put it in checked baggage. The last time I flew, in 2004, and I promised myself it would be the last time, I had to take off my lace-up boots in addition to all the other stuff. I didn't come an hour early, and when TSA got done jerking me around, I had to run for the plane with boots and belt buckle in the left hand while holding up my pants with the right.

Has TSA loosened up in the last year or two? Has anybody else got through with stuff Uncle Sugar wouldn't want you to have?

IMHO, we'd do better to get rid of TSA, and just let everybody pack pistols on the plane. We'd never have another highjacking.

[HighVelocity]

The ammo looks like ammo on the xray. Send chicken little back to the coup.


edit to add: I see TSA agents looking at the monitors all the time that don't actually look conscious. I also see agents looking the opposite direction when bags are going through. They aren't very focused.

[txinvestigator]

That link does not work for me. I believe this story may be urban legand.

[nitrogen]

I've had TSA make me miss a plane before. I've traveled a lot recently, and it depends on the airport. Big, hub airports tend to be really stringent. The most stringent in my experience being SFO, OAK, DFW, ORD (Ohare), ATL, and the airports in New York City, New Jersey, and Washington DC.

Smaller airports, like Phoenix Sky Harbor, Love Field, Kansas City, etc tend to be a lot easier on you.

[Paladin]

Not to scare anyone, but airport security is not so hot:

"Why Airport Security Still Doesn't Work in America

April 20, 2006: Increased airport security in the United States has been an expensive disaster that is turning a lot of otherwise law-abiding people into outlaws. But it's worse than that. International travelers have noticed that airport security outside the United States, especially in Europe (the home of twenty million Moslems, and thousands of openly enthusiastic Islamic radicals), is much less grueling. Yet there have been no attempts to "take advantage" of this seemingly lax European airport security to hijack aircraft.

Many frequent flyers in the United States have found, by trial and error, ways to sneak forbidden materials (cigar clippers, knives, lighters) past the gate security. And the airport security people know that all their aggressive searches aren't working. In the last two years, tests of airport security have shown that 60 percent of fake bombs get through. This was largely due to the fact that bombs can be taken apart, the pieces smuggled aboard, and then reassembled for use.

But for you old-school types, take heart, as 30 percent of guns (real guns, not those sneaky "cell phone guns") get past the screeners. And for those planning another 911, note that 70 percent of knives slip through.

The problem is one of approach. The Europeans, like the Israelis (who have the most successful airport security), use a common sense approach to keeping terrorists off aircraft. The United States, on the other hand, is more concerned about appearances (make it look like a lot is being done), and political correctness (no use of profiling, by far the most successful method so far.) So far, Americans have put up with all this, so the situation is not likely to change."

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htterr ... 60420.aspx

[ghentry]

That link does not work for me. I believe this story may be urban legand.

I saw this report on t.v. a few days ago. A big press conference was held because this guy (don't know who he was) wanted to alert all of the police agencies out there to be aware of this danger.