U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “Of course, you can’t take a gun through an airport checkpoint and we’ve found reports of thieves stealing guns that travelers leave in their cars,” Fox 8 News documents. “Cleveland Police reports show, twice in the last week, thieves have stolen guns from cars in the main parking garage at Hopkins Airport… The travelers say they locked their cars with their guns inside, yet they came back to find they’d been ripped off.”
There have also apparently been 13 cars stolen in just the first quarter of this year, leading to the natural questions of “Why?” and “How”? Isn’t there any security? Aren’t there any cameras? Don’t you need a ticket to get out?
The answer is “Yes” in all three cases, which leads to some interesting considerations to speculate about. Not to cast unfounded aspersions, but with headlines like “8 TSA Workers, 1 Pilot Arrested In Parking-Pass Scandal At DFW Airport,” “Ex-airport worker charged in parking fee thefts,” “OIA parking worker arrested after skimming credit cards,” and “30 Airport Parking Workers Seized in Embezzlement Case,” is it really out of line to wonder if investigators have considered at least the possibility of an inside job?
“Oddly, in the stolen gun reports we reviewed, all of the victims said they had left their cars locked, but police did not find any signs of broken glass or forced entry,” the Fox 8 News report concludes. It’s hardly odd if one considers that thieves don’t want to attract undue attention and there are easier, quieter, and less destructive and immediately discoverable ways to open locked cars, such as DIY “80% ghost slim jims” (shown here “for educational purposes only”).
For its part, Cleveland Hopkins has turned to its professional wordsmiths to come up with a statement that pledges a totally noncommittal “commitment,” admits no liability, and without coming right out and saying so, tells travelers they need to make the trip to and from the airport unarmed:
“At Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, we are committed to providing the highest level of safety and security for our guests … To help prevent this from happening in any of our parking areas, we encourage visitors and travelers who intend to park their vehicle to remove any valuable or personal items prior to leaving for the airport.”
So, who cares if you have to pass through all kinds of unfamiliar places at all hours? It’s not like tires ever go flat or the “Check Engine” light ever comes on, and carjackings only happen on the news. To other people. At Cleveland Hopkins…
And speaking of parking garages…
Washing their hands of it and avoiding responsibility is an easy call for airport administrators to make, and it’s not like they have a legally binding duty to protect those rendered defenseless by mandates. Besides, as the violence monopolists constantly tell anyone they can get to listen, defensive gun uses rarely happen to the point of being negligible.
That is unless they’re lying to us about that, too…
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
It’s pretty clear, the anti-civil rights crowd not only lie about DGUs, they want you to be a “good” victim.
Is that a real picture revolver in the bag hammer back, say it ain’t so. Baggage handlers have been picking through airline passengers bags for decades. Criminals are what the word implies if given a chance they will steal whatever they can sell. Airlines will not take responsibility nor will the airport security. Please fill out a form we will contact you someday maybe could be not likely.
When the FAA rule was first begun checked baggage was opened at the ticket counter and the clerk was shown the gun was unloaded. Then for the convenience of baggage handlers a tag that say FIREAM was attached in plain sight. I assume this was so thieves wouldn’t waste time just stealing shaving kits and clothes. Eventually the rule case changed and travelers just declared the there was a gun and it was unloaded. A tag was placed inside the bag as proof that the firearm had been declared at the counter when the luggage was was checked in.
Inside Job criminals will always exploit the vulnerabilities of any location’s “Berry Patch” to generate the easy low lying fruit’s bounty. No different than when LEA use a Speed Trap or Berry Patch traffic ticket revenue generator at a monitored geographical location. It’s known by Airport Parking Lot staff that vehicles are more likely to have a firearm in them & certain types of vehicles are also profiled. NRA, Noveske, S&W, Colt, KA27, KMA 368, Flag with Blue Line, 2nd A, Molon Labe etc. stickers are easy marks to a seasoned car burglar. Inside job – network street pros can… Read more »
Notice the excuses AND the ” solution” ? Hmmmm
check safes at the airport would be welcome.. in some cases. Two things, though. I want THAT gun with me at the other end, and sometimes I take a rout back home through a different airport, meaning I’d have to then get back to the one where they took my weapon for “security”. Courthouses have secure safes for carry guns, and I’ve never gotten the slightest hint they disapprove of my when I need to use it. Airports could do the same thing. Best idea, which I’ve pondered for mamy years, is the secure storage separate from baggage on the… Read more »
In an armed society, all weapons holders must be responsible for their weapons. You can not have third parties do that because it never works. If the weapons holders cause negligent discharges to happen, then they should serve time. Over years this will result in only responsible people carrying weapons. With responsible people carrying weapons, they may wear them on board automobiles, trains, planes, and ships as well as in public – to include court houses and police stations. Do just as I have said here, and crime will go way down as well as individual harassment being eliminated, and… Read more »
In recent years, too many new cars have no means of securing the trunk. The trunk can be easily opened by the lever near the driver, or the trunk can be accessed through the rear seat. Unless you drive a car with separate locking mechanisms (like some Toyotas equipped with valet switches and keys), a trip to an auto locksmith is in order, if you want to feel confident that your trunk’s contents can be secured.
There needs to be a national DGU database, similar to David’s Bear Attack record, that would accumulate all the DGU to discredit the “rarely used” anti-gun contention.
Where possible, I travel with a carry weapon. I have found the procedure to transport a carry weapon in a checked bag to be straight forward. For times when my carry gun must be left in my car, I use a lock box with built-in cable. Not theft proof of course, but an additional layer of theft resistance.