It was reported Monday, Jan. 14 that the Transportation Security Administration failed to detect a handgun inside a passenger’s carry on bag at a security checkpoint in Atlanta earlier this month, raising questions about the security of air travel in the United States.
“TSA has determined standard procedures were not followed and a passenger did in fact pass through a standard screening TSA checkpoint with a firearm at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on the morning of January 3,” a release from the Transportation Security Administration reads.
The man was boarding an international flight to Japan, and forgot the firearm was in his bag. According to reports by CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and others, the passenger disclosed his possession of the firearm upon his arrival in Japan.
The breach of airline security comes during the longest government shutdown in United States’ history. A statement given to CNN by the TSA dismisses notions that the breach was a result of the shutdown.
“The perception that this might have occurred as a result of the partial government shutdown would be false,” TSA said.
Transportation Security Administration employees are working without pay due to the inability for President Trump and Congress to come to an agreement regarding Trump’s more than $5 Billion request to fund construction of a wall on the US border with Mexico.
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