New From the Bad Ideas Dept: TSA Union wants to arm agents

[TFOGGER]

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1...#axzz2jkCZdvgD

When Congress formed the Transportation Security Administration two months after 9/11, the agency's mission was clear: Its officers would not carry guns or make arrests. Instead, they would focus on screening passengers for weapons, bombs and other dangerous materials.
But the shooting death of a TSA officer at Los Angeles International Airport — the first fatality in the agency's history — could change that.
On Monday, the union representing 45,000 federal security agents called for the creation of a class of armed TSA officers with law enforcement training and the authority to arrest people.

If ever there was a group of people I'd less like to see with firearms....

[lpgasman]

I'm speechless.

[asmo]

This was my Facebook post this afternoon, right before getting on a plane:

Dear TSA,

You are not POST certified. You are not 'officers' in any law enforcement sense of the word. You have no law enforcement duty whatsoever. You are glorified baggage screeners. That's it.

Your job could be done by a small shell script written by a first year IT student for a class project.

You do not need to be armed, you need to be replaced.

Your assistance in this matter is appreciated.

The American Public

[Aloha_Shooter]

I want to see properly trained police officers at the airport, preferably non-unionized ones but I don't see THAT happening. I hadn't realized just how much airports had disarmed ... and this over 10 years after 9/11 while we're still under threat from al Qaeda and their affiliates. We don't need more TSA agents or to train them with weapons, we need to make use of the organizations that already have firearm training programs.

[ray1970]

Yeah, who wants to see bozos like this with guns?

[KevDen2005]

I want to see properly trained police officers at the airport, preferably non-unionized ones but I don't see THAT happening. I hadn't realized just how much airports had disarmed ... and this over 10 years after 9/11 while we're still under threat from al Qaeda and their affiliates. We don't need more TSA agents or to train them with weapons, we need to make use of the organizations that already have firearm training programs.

Count me out for that job

[asmo]

There were 'contractor' types in full kit wandering around DIA today. No badges, levis, polo shirts, chest rigs, motorolas, and ear pieces.... oh and serpa thigh holsters. I wanted to take pictures but didn't want to get an extra freedom fondle in the back room.

[Ronin13]

If you haven't seen it, watch it, the documentary "Please Remove Your Shoes." It's made by a former FAA security officer. He explains that when the TSA was formed after 9-11 they gave them those nice blue uniforms and then threw on expensive looking badges to veil the false authority that TSA "officers" don't have. These people cannot affect an arrest, that's why we have police. They are not law enforcement. asmo explained it perfectly. They do not operate in any law enforcement capacity whatsoever. All they do is ensure you have a boarding pass, and operate magnetometers and related equipment... but they aren't required to have a guard license. I put TSA somewhere between crossing guard and hall monitor, they don't even compare to an unarmed mall security.

[merl]

I was actually surprised that none of them are armed. Like it nor not by law they are our guards when in an airport. We are disarmed and reliant on others in airports, disarming the guards too makes even less sense.

[kidicarus13]

These people cannot affect an arrest, that's why we have police.

Effect an arrest. If you're going to use the lingo at least use it correctly.