A prominent lawmaker is calling for all airline and airport workers to be screened daily following the discovery of a gun smuggling ring operating at Atlanta and New York airports.
New York Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer, alongside Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson, wants all airport staff to be subject to full screening by the Transportation Security Administration at all US airports.
Currently all flight crew including pilots and flight attendants pass through TSA checkpoints but many workers, including those in ‘airside’ restricted areas are exempt from this.
In December an airline baggage handler was caught smuggling firearms on commercial flights between Atlanta and New York.
Five people have so far been charged and 153 guns and live ammunition were seized during an investigation lasting several months.
District Attorney Kenneth Thompson, who led the investigation, called it a "gaping hole in our security at our nation’s airports."
He said the perpetrators had successfully shipped guns undetected on 17 flights over an eight-month period.
"It is ridiculous that people can’t get on the plane with lotion or even a bottle of water, but yet people get on planes with guns in their backpacks," Thompson
