Pilot Caught With Loaded Handgun at Calgary Airport

[IBNAV8R]

But it's cool to have a CREW tag at the range...

Then put a crew tag on your range bag. NEVER put your range 'anything' in your crew bag.

 

[waveflyer]

Hey, I'm pro gun. But this is why there's always a political call for more control over guns.
This is not just a bonehead mistake. You brought a loaded gun into a foreign country using Kcm

This is a mistake you can't make
I mean really dumb.
Just as Kcm is getting more widespread

So dumb

 

[SSDD]

You guys just like to whine! Why are you in such a hurry to give up KCM?

This guy may lose KCM and/or his job. Maybe even SkyWest will lose KCM, but the whole industry? That's not going to happen

 

[PBRstreetgang]

Being banned from Canada for gun charges kind of puts a limit on your flight scheduling as well as possibly having your air side access denied for carrying a weapon aboard an aircraft for which you did not have authorization to do so.

When Canada finishes with him, the TSA/FBI will have their fun time, then the local airport authorities will get to stand in line for their turn. This situation will be on deck for a long time. And when every government agency with a dog in this fight has chewed to their hearts content, SKYW will have a shot at what's left.
My bet is, he will never hold a security sensitive job again. His pelt will be displayed on many walls.

 

[SWA Bubba]

Hey, I'm pro gun. But this is why there's always a political call for more control over guns.
This is not just a bonehead mistake. You brought a loaded gun into a foreign country using Kcm

This is a mistake you can't make
I mean really dumb.
Just as Kcm is getting more widespread

So dumb

First of all, Wave, when you say you're "pro gun," you really don't mean you're pro gun the way other pilots are pro gun. Right?

Also, we don't really know all the facts yet. Something to consider is that the S&W Bodyguard .380 is, without question, a ladies' gun. No self-respecting man over 5' tall and with actual man-sized hands would be caught dead (or in Canada!) in possession of such a weapon. Haven't any of you guys ever seen one of these baby guns? So we may have to consider that an angry wife/girlfriend found out about the other wife/girlfriend, and decided to teach a certain pilot a valuable lesson. Know what I mean?

Bubba

 

[waveflyer]

That's actually a good point

And no bubba

If I were pro gun like other pilots I'd have a big ole belly and aggressively tell you how I'd shoot a guy right between the eyes from 50 yards if I came across a mall shooter.
(All without doing any work or preparation for that situation)

I also don't give a damn if I register my guns-
And don't mind background checks-
Call me crazy...

 

[densoo]

You guys just like to whine! Why are you in such a hurry to give up KCM?

This guy may lose KCM and/or his job. Maybe even SkyWest will lose KCM, but the whole industry? That's not going to happen

Sounds about right. I see them increasing the number of random bag checks for those going through KCM as a measured response. A hastle, but better than throwing the whole thing out. I think local TSAs and airport authorities see the advantage of KCM and don't want to go back a busload of crew members jumping the first class/handicapped line every 30 minutes. Pisses off passengers and requires another TSA agent to cover the magnetic screener.

 

[scoreboardII]

1800 guns confiscated by TSA last year at checkpoints.

This guy gets charged trying to bring one out of Canada? Sounds like the Mounted POlice who are not mounted need to explain why he made it into Canada with a gun.

 

[wms]

Canada hates handguns, even for LE. I saw TSA find a lady's gun at iad, they just took her name and told her to put it back in her car. Every place is different.

 

[Ops check good]

What's NOT COOL is a non union pilot putting into jeopardy the KCM program funded in part by ALPA. It is frustrating enough that I have to get in line behind a bunch of FA's who are riding our coat tails.....

get over yourself

 

[Ops check good]

1800 guns confiscated by TSA last year at checkpoints.

This guy gets charged trying to bring one out of Canada? Sounds like the Mounted POlice who are not mounted need to explain why he made it into Canada with a gun.

TSA in SLC failed? thats how he made it into canada. The guy is completely stupid. How do you not know you have your gun with you? honestly if you are that dumb you should not be in possession of a firearm!!!

 

[NEDude]

1800 guns confiscated by TSA last year at checkpoints.

This guy gets charged trying to bring one out of Canada? Sounds like the Mounted POlice who are not mounted need to explain why he made it into Canada with a gun.

How often do crew members get searched going through passport control/customs in Canada? I have never seen it happen. I have never seen it happen to a crew member upon arriving in the United States either. I have never been searched by customs in Europe, and I have been making six to eight trips per year for the past five years as a regular/non-rev passenger. So I cannot imaging crew members getting searched in Europe. Perhaps Canada and Europe (remember the FA in Italy not too long ago) will now start doing customs inspections on arriving U.S. crew members.

 

[wms]

I don't think it was customs inspection. It was security screening, which we do in CA.

 

[JAM-BRO]

What a DUMBASS!!!!

 

[scoreboardII]

TSA in SLC failed? thats how he made it into canada. The guy is completely stupid. How do you not know you have your gun with you? honestly if you are that dumb you should not be in possession of a firearm!!!

You take me wrong, I was slamming the feds of both countries, out and into Canada. I also think the dude needs his peepee wacked for not knowing where his weapon is.

Lose his job wacked? Maybe time off...

 

[NEDude]

I don't think it was customs inspection. It was security screening, which we do in CA.

I was responding to this statement:

Sounds like the Mounted POlice who are not mounted need to explain why he made it into Canada with a gun.

This implies the RCMP did not do their job by preventing him from entering Canada with a gun in the first place, hence my statement about arrival screening by customs. Obviously he was caught by screening as he was exiting Canada.

 

[wms]

My mistake, you're correct.

 

[wms]

The fact is we're all human and all make mistakes. Our mistakes are different, but accidental none the less, and we're all throwing him under the bus. How would we want to be treated if we forgot to carry our cert and medical, or made some other honest mistake? This guy made a mistake, stupid as it was, and the Canadian government is treating him like a criminal. Probably because of their stance on handguns and the fact that they don't like us using KCM prior to arrival to CA. They also don't like the FFDO and FAM programs, which is why they don't Cooperate with the FFDO program.

 

[PBRstreetgang]

The fact is we're all human and all make mistakes. Our mistakes are different, but accidental none the less, and we're all throwing him under the bus. How would we want to be treated if we forgot to carry our cert and medical, or made some other honest mistake? This guy made a mistake, stupid as it was, and the Canadian government is treating him like a criminal. Probably because of their stance on handguns and the fact that they don't like us using KCM prior to arrival to CA. They also don't like the FFDO and FAM programs, which is why they don't Cooperate with the FFDO program.

Sorry,
This guy made a conscious choice, that provides the intent, and that is what makes this a Canadian criminal issue. This was not a "honest mistake" it's a huge judgement issue, he didn't forget a piece of paper or plastic, he smuggled a loaded weapon into a foreign country, and then attempted to smuggle it back into the USA in violation of many existing US laws. He was CRJ pilot, if he had the gun in his flight kit, it was an unauthorized weapon in the flight deck, and if it was in his roll aboard, there was a loaded, unsecured weapon in the cabin.
Again my bags consist of maybe 3 cubic feet of space and in the course of the first day, I move or get into every space in my stuff, so I am not buying the scorned lover theory, no matter how small the gun might be.
Foreign countries are very strict about weapons importation into their countries by officers of foreign governments so FAM and FFDO programs are negotiated by State Departments with very specific protocols. Civilian importation is just as scrutinized, it's just the Stupid sovereign nation thing, pretty sure as a US citizen, I don't want a Somali dude walking around Chinatown with his AK47 while he is on vacation, or in town for a piracy convention.
While you may think this job is about flying airplanes, you would be only partially right, the single largest component from a companies perspective is trust and judgement, this guy exhibited lass than none. There are 2 things that will get you fired at SKYW instantly, lying and stealing and both are trust and judgement issues. So even if he comes polygraph clean to satisfy the truth issue, the judgement issue will get him.
So unless the gun was hidden behind the lining of his bag with someone else's fingerprints all over it, he is done, fried, finished, rightfully so.

 

[ASA_Aviator]

Are we certain he even used KCM? Some airports drive crews right to the terminal (past security) from the parking lot.

 

[waveflyer]

Are we certain he even used KCM? Some airports drive crews right to the terminal (past security) from the parking lot.

Where's that?^^^

SLC is KCM and I've never passed one up unless it's a terminal away.
That said- no. Could've been a commuter- I just don't want to believe the TSA would miss a gun through the xray when they catch my toothpaste every time I travel out of uniform

 

[DCAA320]

Well TSA Chicago took my water but left my all metal, with blade (home construction) box cutter. All a roll of the dice.

 

[100-1/2]

Apparently, never been to canada before?
Not a friendly country for personal possession
Of handguns. Definitely asked upon entry...
Any Tabacco or Firearms to declare?

He knew he had it/packed it on morning of
Return flight. Should have used Fedex/UPS
And hoped it didnt get xrayed and tossed
The ammo. Will likely do time in Canada.
Betting there is a fresh opening at SKW.

100-1/2

 

[dojetdriver]

Are we certain he even used KCM? Some airports drive crews right to the terminal (past security) from the parking lot.

Where's that?^^^

ORD and DEN off the top of my head.

 

[waveflyer]

You go through security in the lot in den, then get on the bus

 

[wms]

You bypass security at ATL with a SIDA.

 

[dojetdriver]

You go through security in the lot in den, then get on the bus

When did air side in DEN change? It USED to be, swipe badge, go get on bus, get taken right to terminal.

 

[ALGFLYR]

Sure, let's discuss the places and techniques on how to bypass security on a public forum... Who could possibly be reading and how could they possibly use this info...

 

[igneousy2]

This is inexcusable no matter how you slice it. Maybe he forgot it...well he should be fired for Wong irresponsible. Maybe his scorned lover slipped it in his bag...he should be fired for trying to get it back across the border. Maybe somebody slipped it in his bag on the way to the airport, I'm pretty sure that's not true or that would have come out by now...but he should still be fired for not maintaining control of his bag. That may seem harsh but somebody slipping something into a crew members bag unknowingly is a frequent reason sited to continue to have us screened and probably the strongest argument from the forces against KCM. We are and should be held to a higher standard. Maybe this exact incident will not hinder KCM, but it certainly doesn't help.

KCM is NOT universally popular in the TSA. The airports with TSA management supporting the concept have already implemented or started to implement the program. It is now a struggle to get new airports to see the benefits of implementing the program.

For example, Alaska ALPA/Management have just had a meeting with the TSA in PDX trying to get the managers in PDX to see the good in KCM. This effort involved flying in security people from ALPA national as well as bringing in TSA managers from other airports to offer the benefits that they saw. I fear those efforts may have been thwarted by this knuckle-head.

Firing may seem harsh, but this is serious. This is not forgetting to call for the gear until the gear horn goes off...this is yanking the handle up while the airplane is on the ground.

 

[NEDude]

The fact is we're all human and all make mistakes. Our mistakes are different, but accidental none the less, and we're all throwing him under the bus. How would we want to be treated if we forgot to carry our cert and medical, or made some other honest mistake? This guy made a mistake, stupid as it was, and the Canadian government is treating him like a criminal. Probably because of their stance on handguns and the fact that they don't like us using KCM prior to arrival to CA. They also don't like the FFDO and FAM programs, which is why they don't Cooperate with the FFDO program.

He committed a crime in Canada, so he is by definition, a criminal. As a sovereign nation, Canada has every right in the world to have the stance they do on handguns. Just as we Americans apply our laws to foreign visitors to our nation, Americans are bound by the laws of the nation they visit. You are notified as such in your passport.

Listen, even if this was an honest mistake, it was a very stupid one. If you are going to take on the responsibility of owning a handgun, then you also assume the responsibility of knowing how to take care of it, where it is located, how to properly handle it, and the laws and regulations of the places you carry it. If you cannot assume those responsibilities, do not buy a gun.