BYO Taser with DJ

[markis10]

This is not good, how the heck did it get through, unless it was a Marshall although I think they have been downscaled!

Taser gun found on Virgin flight at Melbourne Airport | Herald Sun

A SECURITY breach forced Australian Federal Police to confiscate a taser gun which was hidden in a cabin bag on an Adelaide-bound Virgin flight at Melbourne Airport. The tarmac drama occurred as flight crew on DJ 229 closed overhead compartments in preparation for takeoff and discovered a taser gun which had fallen out of a cabin bag.
One passenger, Labor MP Leon Bignell, recalled the drama which began at 2.15pm Melbourne time.
''Two police came on to the flight, went straight to the overhead bin, grabbed a bag and said 'whose bag is this' and a passenger answered 'mine' and they took him off and that process was repeated three times with three other passengers,'' he said.

 

[AVC]

Nasty business.

If you know you are carrying a taser (and how could you not?), why the hell would you not have it carefully hidden. Unless it was there to be "used" in flight.

Some tasers could just appear like a digital camera on the security screening though. They are not all "pistol" shaped.

 

[Mal]

How does a "hidden" taser fall out. More BS reporting I think...

Definately a failure in security though.

 

[Simo]

I would have thought security should have picked it up even if it was camera shaped.

 

[QF WP]

Could have been an epic FAIL had that taser been used for nefarious activities. Agree the reporting doesn't quite add up

 

[samh004]

If the taser was going to be used inflight, either for good or bad, surely the pax would have had it on their person, not in their bag, seems odd.

 

[QF WP]

They would have probably retrieved the bag during flight...more chance of getting it through security in the bag - as happened.

 

[simongr]

Are they on the dangerous items list?

If I was going to do something nefarious I would securely hide it for screening then take it out of the bag before boarding.

 

[AVC]

Are they on the dangerous items list?.

They are a prohibited weapon, unless you are specifically licenced.

Most of them look like a pistol (or a futuristic one), but some look similar to a mobile phone (with some electrodes on the end) and rely on contact to the, err, "subject", as opposed to firing the electrodes into the target, with those electrodes connected to the weapon by wires.

This would explain how it could have made it through security.

 

[dfcatch]

Dammit! I knew I left it somewhere!

Sorry guys

 

[FlyboyAl]

If one got through, how do they know another didn't get through!
I know there are commercial implications, but I'm surprised the whole plane didn't get turned over again by security.
On a side note, I've seen for sale in the US at Fry's in San Diego for $299 each.
You could have them in Red, White or Blue!!!!!!!

 

[markis10]

I am surprised they did not declare the whole airport contaminated, which is what they do when someone gets through without screening who MIGHT have a prohibited item, in this case they found one yet seem to act without much concern.

 

[pauly7]

Damn I thought it was actually DJ's new way of keeping the Y pax out of the J cabin

 

[maninblack]

I have read the media reports. This whole story does not seem to stack up at all...

Item fell out of bag in locker and crew found it.
Rest of plane not checked.
Passengers not taken off and re-screened in MEL.
Person taken off plane but not arrested or charged.

Sounds to me like a security exercise that went a little wrong or something to that effect.

 

[markis10]

Damn I thought it was actually DJ's new way of keeping the Y pax out of the J cabin

I dont think the message would still get through !

 

[samh004]

Are they on the dangerous items list?

I was under the impression they were illegal, along with flick knives and other items…

If I was going to do something nefarious I would securely hide it for screening then take it out of the bag before boarding.

Exactly, you’d smuggle it through and then go to the toilet and arm yourself, so you’re ready when you sit down.

Does seem a lot like a training screw up on closer inspection.

 

[rechoboam]

I was under the impression they were illegal, along with flick knives and other items…



Exactly, you’d smuggle it through and then go to the toilet and arm yourself, so you’re ready when you sit down.

Does seem a lot like a training screw up on closer inspection.

I hope so. If that is how they would react to a whole group of people armed with weapons that could disable the cabin crew I would be pretty concerned. I get the impression that the other three people also had these in their bags? But I'm not sure.

 

[777]

Maybe they misread about the (old) VA Taster upgrade program and thought they thought it would get them an op-up?

"I'm after my Taser upgrade"

 

[samh004]

I hope so. If that is how they would react to a whole group of people armed with weapons that could disable the cabin crew I would be pretty concerned. I get the impression that the other three people also had these in their bags? But I'm not sure.

Could it be like that incident in Europe I think it was a year or two ago where the security at the airport planted a weapon on someone without them knowing, then didn’t pick it up (as expected) and I think in the case I’m remembering, he got halfway around the world before being stopped by more well trained security!