Adding a camera to something like this would be very interesting.
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at what point do we get pissed off enough to change this?
Oh, what do we have to do to re-take the power to be able to change this.
Cause voting sure as hell does not do anything.
If I am traveling in the US? I always check a firearm. My luggage never gets rummaged through, or lost.
If I am traveling internationally, I just assume my stuff will be lost, stolen or rummaged.
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And it could work quite well.
For static images, even a UART-connected low-res camera module could do a pretty decent job, without the need for special wiring. Such thing could be interfaced even wirelessly (low-power bluetooth?), increasing the installation possibilities.
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I flew a lot last year (like six times - not a lot, but a lot for me) and didn’t get search AFAIK. I don’t put a lock on every time I fly though, so it’s possible TSA checked my luggage and put it back nicely without leaving a note. I’ve only ever gotten a note once, but from what I hear, it’s somewhat inconsistent.
So…package your bags with sand? Since in certain materials can cause a scatter effect on x-rays and in sand form that scatter will be very random…
And sand could be used as buffer for fragile objects…never mind the weight requirements.
Don’t be ridiculous, they’re looking for a bottle of hand sanitizer over 3.4 oz.
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This is why my luggage contains only cans labeled as “peanut brittle”.
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I tried that. It ended badly.
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This. If you’re dead set on checking whatever you can’t carry that’s valuable, you can bring part of a gun (like a registered AR-15 upper, or a smaller part that’s still serialized and legally considered a gun) in a locked hard case that only you have access to.
Inform them at check in that you’re travelling with a firearm, let them see you lock the box, wave goodbye-for-now to the box, and proceed as normal.
This helps with the problem of flying into a place that doesn’t allow whatever kind of gun you might own already. If it’s a real gun, but just a broken old muzzle loader, odds are they’re not going to try you for an illegal weapon.
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There hasn’t been a single instance in my adult life when I’ve flown and didn’t get “SSSS.” I’ll get it next time I fly because it’s now been nearly a decade since I bothered dealing with the TSA’s airport Kabuki.
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Since we’ve federalized the TSA, we need to also Federalize the prosecution for theft by their “agents”. Treat these crimes like stealing from U.S. Mail, harshly.
[quote=“slybevel, post:29, topic:55463, full:true”]
This helps with the problem of flying into a place that doesn’t allow whatever kind of gun you might own already. If it’s a real gun, but just a broken old muzzle loader, odds are they’re not going to try you for an illegal weapon.[/quote]
Beware New York and New Jersey. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police are famous for arresting people who have had their flight diverted or a connection cancelled and declare a firearm when checking back in.
New Jersey’s strict gun laws explicitly include antique firearms, there was just a case in the news where an elderly retired schoolteacher was arrested for possession of an unloaded 225-year-old flintlock pistol, charges were only dropped after Gordon Van Gilder spent thousands on his defense.
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Safe to open and look for some bonus pay.
When I was visibly transgender (as opposed to now, when few people can tell), I got a ‘random’ enhanced screening every single time. I also always opted for the pat-down. My experience with the professionalism of the gropers has been somewhat less positive than other people commenting here. I wish I had been together enough to get the badge number of one particular guy at JFK.
Anyway, I take the train a lot now.
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I’ve seen a strange change in TSA screener behavior. When I fly for work I usually have some 3d scanning equipment with me. It is essentially a plastic box stuffed with lasers, senors, circuit boards, wires, and counter balance weights which is stored in a pelican case. For the past couple of years I have always been stopped and asked to open the case so the screener can check the equipment. This year, nothing. I could see their eyes get wider as the case passed through the xray machine, but they didn’t pull me aside. Maybe it is too obvious.
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The problem would be actually having the proof. Luggage gets touched by so many hands when it passes through the black rubber curtain, it is damn near impossible to figure out who done it.
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Were you not paying attention when one of the major provisions of the formation of the TSA was that workers were not allowed to unionise? It was union busting masquerading as national security - and a major reason the law was passed. Seriously, knee-jerk anti-union all you want, but you’re just playing into the hands of Bush-ist security theatre if you do. Unionised workers would be better paid, less disgruntled (read: less incentivised to steal) and probably better trained.
Other countries that also have security theatre, such as the UK, allow their workers to unionise and do not have a higher rate of theft. Indeed, my experience with flying between the US and the UK a few times a year is that the UK workers are far more professional and less prone to abuse.
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Fortunately, with a flare gun or starter pistol, those are legal and don’t require registration in any of the US states.
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Just another reason to get rid of this shitfart of an ‘organization’.
If I ever had to fly somewhere, I would probably be better off sending my luggage through Fed Ex or UPS to my destination with a ‘will pick up’ in place.
Uhhh… as long as there is a zipper - a lock is just an ornament.
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I always fly with a suitcase made in the 1940s.
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