quote:

Originally posted by Phred:
...one likely to be more of a hazard than help to anyone...

You just described how I feel about the TSA every. day.

Yet another area where only the government is allowed to be armed. I don't mind the guns. I mind them restricting me from having them. Wasn't this the case in several countries during the 2nd World War, areas where citizens were disarmed by the government was well armed? Didn't a number of those scenarios end with the disarmed being round up and forced into boxcars?

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
Yet another area where only the government is allowed to be armed. I don't mind the guns. I mind them restricting me from having them.

Well, when I dropped my wife off at the airport the other day, I was armed the entire time including right up until I walked her to the security line and said "bon voyage."

Or are you implying that people should be able to be armed in the gate areas and on the airplane?

quote:

Originally posted by GP229:
Went to Germany many years ago and there were lots of them carrying rifles in the airport.

Heck, when I was in Germany 1977-1980, the cops were carrying submachine guns.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
Yet another area where only the government is allowed to be armed. I don't mind the guns. I mind them restricting me from having them.

Well, when I dropped my wife off at the airport the other day, I was armed the entire time including right up until I walked her to the security line and said "bon voyage."

Yup, there is no restriction in the unsecured areas of the airport, here.

Seeing Police Officers carrying a long gun on duty isn't some thing we are use to. In Europe and other countries the Police have been doing it at Airports for over 30 years. Teachers in Israel open carry rifles due to Terrorist threats. It has become a normal thing in some parts of the US and today NYPD has many Officers carrying AR-15 M4's and are dressed in full tactical gear for the Macy's Parade. It is a response to recent events and the updated level of preparedness since 9/11. I don't like it, but I am glad too see it.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
are you implying that people should be able to be armed in the gate areas and on the airplane?

Issue guns to passengers who don't bring their own.

No more hijackings!

David Truong's famous flight would have been easier if passengers had guns.

I was at Wichita Airport on a random day in August and one guy was walking around with one strapped to his body armor. This was at 5am and all I could think of was damn that sucks to walk around with all day.

Tator, would you prefer it to be done the Chicago way in which the Chicago Aviation Police patrolled unarmed? They did that for years even though they were State certified Police Officers. Mayor Daley thought that allowing the Police to have guns would offend the public.

quote:

Originally posted by Bulldog7972:
Tator, would you prefer it to be done the Chicago way in which the Chicago Aviation Police patrolled unarmed? They did that for years even though they were State certified Police Officers. Mayor Daley thought that allowing the Police to have guns would offend the public.

Ok, look, what gives with posts like this? It's not the first. In this whole thread, I don't think there has been one person who has said that he doesn't think that this is a good thing. Unanimously members here are for it, and that includes the OP:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
I'm not against officers armed with AR-15s at airports ( quite the opposite ), but my BS meter is going off that there is no specific threat.

The question is whether the public is purposefully not being told about a legitimate threat. That's where the equivocation is. Not whether law enforcement should be armed with rifles. We seem pretty unified about that.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by Bulldog7972:
Tator, would you prefer it to be done the Chicago way in which the Chicago Aviation Police patrolled unarmed? They did that for years even though they were State certified Police Officers. Mayor Daley thought that allowing the Police to have guns would offend the public.

Ok, look, what gives with posts like this? It's not the first. In this whole thread, I don't think there has been one person who has said that he doesn't think that this is a good thing. Unanimously members here are for it, and that includes the OP:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
I'm not against officers armed with AR-15s at airports ( quite the opposite ), but my BS meter is going off that there is no specific threat.

The question is whether the public is purposefully not being told about a legitimate threat. That's where the equivocation is. Not whether law enforcement should be armed with rifles. We seem pretty unified about that.

Exactly. My post was only 3 sentences, but some people cranked up their inner IndyFFL to 11 and read between the lines of what I "really" meant.

My question was pretty straight forward, I was wondering if other frequent flyers were seeing AR-15s recently appear at the airports they fly? If nobody did, it'd probably mean the news report was either accurate or the threat was specific to Houston. If others started seeing them recently appear, then it'd mean intelligence had picked up non-specific chatter (i.e. Thanksgiving attack at airport but not a specific airport).

As long as I'm posting, I'll also clear up a few other misconceptions:

I'm a high tier frequent flyer so I've seen the rifles with my own eyes in Europe, but I haven't seen them in the US or Canada since 2001.

By the parenthetical "quite the opposite," my personal opinion is it's long overdue and at the latest should've been implemented after the 2013 LAX shooting incident at the TSA checkpoint.

quote:

Originally posted by Dallas239:

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
ARs are difficult to CC IWB.

You need to get a better holster and a quality belt.

Appendix carry for ARs definitely puts 70s rock star "bulges" to shame.

Back in 2001 after that little issue with hijackings, the Mass State Patrol put on quite the gun show in Boston Logan. Even more epic was the absolute pants-shitting reactions the Fauxcahontas types were having to big men with evil guns.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
Yet another area where only the government is allowed to be armed. I don't mind the guns. I mind them restricting me from having them.

Well, when I dropped my wife off at the airport the other day, I was armed the entire time including right up until I walked her to the security line and said "bon voyage."

Yup, there is no restriction in the unsecured areas of the airport, here.

It's a no-go in IL:

(8) Any bus, train, or form of transportation paid for in whole or in part with public funds, and any building, real property, and parking area under the control of a public transportation facility paid for in whole or in part with public funds.

See all 23 prohibited paragraphs here:

http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/illinois.pdf

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:

It's a no-go in IL:

(8) Any bus, train, or form of transportation paid for in whole or in part with public funds , and any building, real property, and parking area under the control of a public transportation facility paid for in whole or in part with public funds .

See all 23 prohibited paragraphs here:

http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/illinois.pdf

These law makers have some freakin' nerve I tell you what. I can't even begin to describe how angry it makes me that these public servants would have the gall to deny a Constitutional right on Public Property. Really sticks in my craw.