Friday, August 17,
2007
CHICAGO - A Massachusetts
man said he checked his luggage at Midway Airport this week, but when he got to
Rhode Island, his luggage -- with the guns he packed in it -- was
missing.
“I'm just a guy who likes to go out shooting,” said Southwest
passenger Charlie Cook.
As CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports, Cook is now
directing his verbal fire at airport security after the four handguns checked in
baggage disappeared.
“I feel safer carrying the guns on the plane with
me, not for terrorist reasons, just so I can keep track of my stuff,” he
said.
Cook left Midway Monday on Southwest flight 1839, for Providence,
R.I., inside his checked luggage. He had Smith and Wesson 38-caliber and
357-revolvers, and two semi-automatic pistols -- a Glock 9 millimeter, and a
22-caliber Browning.
He reported the packed firearms to Southwest and TSA
officials, but they never arrived in Providence.
“[I] had to jump through
extra hoops to check them aboard,” Cook said.
A Southwest spokesperson
said: "We do our utmost to ensure that every passenger receives their luggage
promptly,” but added checked firearms receive no special attention.
Early
last year, at least 10 guns were reported missing from luggage checked with
United Airlines at O’Hare. After two United employs were questioned by police --
but not charged -- the thefts stopped.
Cook reported the missing firearms
to both Southwest .and to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, but
worries they could wind up in the wrong hands.
He says the Transportation
Security Agency told him they interviewed personnel on duty when he checked in,
but no one knows what happened to his guns.
Both Chicago's Aviation
Department and the TSA insist there's been no pattern of gun thefts at Midway.
On the Web:
Airport Security & the DC Shuffle
http://www.californiaaviation.org/weblog/2007/04/airport-security-dc-shuffle
Click or paste the link to view the video: