In response to the Oct. 23 story, “Loaded gun checked on plane headed from Los Angeles to Portland,” I think that the Transportation Security Administration is focusing its efforts in the wrong direction. Many Americans have felt the increase in airport security since the terrorist attacks in 2001. From body scanners that invade our privacy to pat downs that make for awkward moments, airports have become more of a nuisance than ever before.
And with a sea of blue uniforms, TSA still fails to find some loaded guns in luggage bags. TSA officials in the Oct. 23 story said that they had checked the bag for explosives and there were none. Why not make a bomb that looks like a gun?
It’s very clear that whoever was checking the bags either made a mistake or is following a procedure that by no means makes flying safer.
If terrorists choose to use planes again, they aren’t going to try to get by security with box cutters. They are going to exploit a weakness in security, such as bag checking, and perform their evil deeds like never before. TSA needs to think more about terrorist tactics, rather than history.
