It’s not rocket science: No guns in carry-ons

What is it going to take for people to finally get the message about taking guns in carry-on luggage on flights?

It’s really not that hard to understand. No guns, even unloaded, in carry-ons. They must be unloaded in your checked luggage.

The no-guns-in-carry-ons directive is federal law. The same with ammunition, which must be in your checked luggage. In addition to being the law, it is also a matter of common sense.

Unfortunately, there are people getting on airplanes who don’t know the law, don’t like the law, or don’t have common sense. It may be a combination of the three.

The Transportation Security Administration has reported that the week of July 10-16 set a record for passengers trying to bring guns — both loaded and unloaded — on planes in carry-ons nationwide. There were 89 such weapons collected, including three handguns at Fort Lauderdale-Hollwood International Airport: an unloaded .45 caliber and a loaded .25 caliber and 9 mm. Of those 89 guns in carry-on bags nationwide, 74 were loaded, and 27 had a round chambered, according to the TSA. According to the TSA, 45 firearms were found in carry-on luggage at Miami International Airport last year, and another 24 at Palm Beach International. And four out of every five recovered weapons were loaded.

The Fort Lauderdale airport didn’t lead the nation in people trying to get guns on planes. That dishonor went to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, where 198 weapons were intercepted at security. Hartsfield also happens to be the nation’s busiest airport. Orlando came in sixth last year, with 86 weapons confiscated. Fort Lauderdale was 16th nationally.

It is truly startling that anyone at the Fort Lauderdale airport would be caught with a handgun in their carry-on luggage. Have they not heard that five people were killed at the airport on Jan. 6 when Esteban Santiago, according to police reports, brought a gun in a locked case as his checked baggage, retrieved it from baggage claim, and then allegedly took five lives and injured six in a matter of seconds.

Santiago legally brought a Walther 9mm semi-automatic handgun on the flight that originated in Alaska. But there was worldwide coverage of the incident, and much was made at the time about laws for bringing handguns on airplanes. Too many people apparently were not paying attention.

“We don’t want another tragedy,” said Shari Koshetz, TSA spokeswoman. “You see the way some people fling their bags onto the X-ray belts in the checkpoints. One of those loaded guns could discharge with fatal results.”

According to the TSA, some folks went to great lengths to get their guns and ammo illegally onto planes. The TSA found a loaded .40 caliber firearm with 15 round concealed inside a wheelchair cushion at an airport in Tennessee.

And just last month, former American Idol winner Scott McCreery was cited for carrying a loaded handgun at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. McCreery told the Huffington Post he has had a concealed carry permit since being robbed at gunpoint in 2014. He said he accidentally left the gun and ammunition in his carry-on.

We can understand if you accidentally put contained of liquid over 3 ounces into your carry-on. But forgetting you put a gun in there? And a loaded gun at that?

“The reason or excuse they give is always the same,” Broward Sheriff ’s Captain Roy Liddicott, district commander at the Fort Lauderdale airport, told the Sun Sentinel. “I forgot. That’s what they say. I forgot. I was at the gun range and I forgot.”

If you get caught with a gun in your carry-on and you don’t have a concealed weapons permit, you can be arrested. According to Liddicott, four people have been stopped at the Fort Lauderdale airport this year and charged with a felony. Violators also could face a fine of up to $12,000.

There should be no acceptable excuse for bringing a weapon — loaded or unloaded — in your carry-on.

The National Rifle Association always tells us that gun owners are responsible people. More of them need to show it.