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Home » News » See, I Told You So! TSA Full Body Scanner Fails to Detect Gun in Bra
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See, I Told You So! TSA Full Body Scanner Fails to Detect Gun in Bra

Matthew February 23, 2011 1 Comment

Last March, the Government Accounting Office warned Congress that full body scanners have not been tested and may not be able to detect the very type of explosives material the machines were procured to detect. Few listened, as most members of Congress rolled over as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced plans to make full body scanners the primary means of passengers screening, with “enhanced pat downs” (groping) if a citizen felt uncomfortable walking through the virtual strip search machine.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano assured us that these machines were vital to national security and necessary to keep us safe. For months, I pointed out the fact that the machines cannot pick up weapons in body cavities, but I never dreamed it would be so easy to get a gun past a full body scanner–and not just once but multiple times! 

As Nick reports, a government agent successfully smuggled in a handgun in her bra on five different occasions during an undercover test at Dallas/Fort Worth. Each time she went through security, she was screened by a full body scanner and each time the machine missed the very thing it was purchased to detect.

While we are once again reminded that no technology exists that can detect all weapons, Michael Chertoff and his cronies at Rapiscan are laughing their way to bank.

Sadly, I think this “revelation” will only lead to harsher screening rather than a thoughtful evaluation of whether we need to fundamentally change our security paradigm.

Click here to read about why TSA actions violate the Fourth Amendment.

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About Author

Matthew

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 120 countries over the last decade. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BBC, Fox News, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Al Jazeera, Toronto Star, and on NPR. Studying international relations, American government, and later obtaining a law degree, Matthew has a plethora of knowledge outside the travel industry that leads to a unique writing perspective. He has served in the United States Air Force, on Capitol Hill, and in the White House. His Live and Let's Fly blog shares the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs and promotions, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel. His writings on penandpassport.com offer more general musings on life from the eyes of a frequent traveler. He also founded awardexpert.com, a highly-personalized consulting service that aids clients in the effective use of their credit card points and frequent flyer miles. Clients range from retirees seeking to carefully use their nest egg of points to multinational corporations entrusting Matthew with the direction and coordination of company travel.

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1 Comment

  1. FriendlySkies Reply
    February 23, 2011 at 5:53 pm

    Don’t we have some sort of machine that was made to detect guns, and has been working perfectly for years?

    It will be interesting to see the response from TSA about this “isolated incident” :rolleyes:

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