
Shooting at LAX: TSA agent, alleged gunman wounded [video] - ck2
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-shooting-lax-20131101,0,3342378.story
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MrZongle2
I can't help but think that the by-product of this incident will be more
invasive and even less personable processing by the TSA in the months to come.

You know, for _our_ safety.

~~~
kunai
It's an inevitable slide.

Some wanker tries to make a point by shooting a government officer, and they
retaliate even harder. Now, patdowns as soon as you leave the vehicle, with
gunpoint attendees at the airport front door.

Think it's outlandish? Just you wait.

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betterunix
Breaking News: The TSA has announced that, due to the recent incident with a
firearm at a checkpoint at LAX, all passengers must be screened prior to
entering the screening line.

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brandoncapecci
Due to fear that passengers in the prescreen line may still have a firearm,
the TSA is proposing another screening line before the prescreening line.

~~~
koenigdavidmj
A Møøse once bit my sister...

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ohazi
Since 9/11 we've made it "impractically difficult" to hijack an airplane. The
flight deck is behind blast doors, and even if someone _did_ manage to sneak a
weapon on board, other passengers would more than likely risk life and limb to
hold down anybody who got too uppity. This is the _real_ deterrent to
terrorism on an airplane, not the TSA.

Yet even though the above came into effect _very_ shortly after 9/11, the
public has demanded (and the government has provided) such an extreme
overreaction of a response that it borders on insanity.

So now it's too difficult for a terrorist to hijack an airplane. Are there any
_other_ areas where people are densely packed, and where it would be easy for
a terrorist to bring in heavy weaponry? Perhaps the circus of a security line
that's supposed to take away said heavy weaponry? This is a problem of our own
creation!

Honestly, anybody who has thought about it for more than a few minutes should
have seen this coming. But if you draw out your conclusions (queue jokes about
security lines to get to the real security line), it should also be completely
obvious that, short of imprisoning the entire country, security from this sort
of terrorism is impossible. Yet we continue to escalate rather than de-
escalate!

What really scares me is the possibility that we might start to see TSA-like
"super" agents armed with assault rifles, just as we see militarization of the
police forces in our cities. And _we 're_ the ones who are going to suffer for
it. Some poor guy is going to get shot while taking apart a stroller or
something because it "looked dangerous."

The time to put an end to this stuff is _now_ , before it spirals out of
control. One could argue that it's too late, and that the situation is already
out of control. But I would like to believe that the tragedy at LAX today can
give people pause to really think long and hard about what's possible and
what's appropriate rather than immediately jumping into overreaction mode
again.

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Osiris
At peak times, like a Monday morning, at a big airport, there will be more
people in line than in an entire plane. A terrorist could easily could more
death and destruction by bombing the security line than an airport. Not to
mention that the incident would likely ground all incoming/outgoing air
traffic to that airport.

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wil421
Thank god it wasn't another school but these people are ruining gun control
for the rest of us.

I don't own a gun yet but its looking like I might never be able to unless I
hurry up.

TSA is going to be worse now too.

Shootings = people die, stricter rules, less rights for everyone. Its bad for
everyone in the US.

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Jtsummers
I like it, someone shoots people, apparently 2 people dead (gunman + TSA
agent), several others wounded, and your priority is hypothetical restrictions
on your rights.

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chrismonsanto
That's some pretty slippery slope there. I'm sure many people posted "I like
it, thousands die in WTC crash, and your priority is hypothetical restrictions
on your rights" shortly after 9/11, and look at where we are now...

~~~
Jtsummers
So mine is slippery slope reasoning, but "Oh god, not another shooting,
assholes are fucking it up for the rest of us now I won't be able to buy a
gun" isn't?

EDIT: We're at 17 school shootings this year with 17 dead, 21 wounded. Are gun
control advocates significantly closer, with dead children as their evidence
and motivation, to getting rid of gun rights? In this circumstance it's two
dead adults, granted in a very public place. Gun control advocates have all
the ammunition, so to speak, to achieve their goals if they're ever going to
achieve them this incident or another tomorrow is not going to change the
equation.

~~~
koenigdavidmj
Just a few weeks ago California was a governor's signature away from banning
semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines. In other words, nearly every
modern rifle in existence.

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Jtsummers
Perhaps because I live in the South I've not seen some of the impact, but why
did the governor not sign the law? What was the expected
enforceability/constitutionality of the law?

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koenigdavidmj
[http://gov.ca.gov/docs/SB_374_2013_Veto_Message.pdf](http://gov.ca.gov/docs/SB_374_2013_Veto_Message.pdf)

That's his letter stating his decision.

~~~
Jtsummers
Thanks, so he vetoed it based on a belief that it went too far in restricting
a right while not providing sufficients benefit in terms of gains in public
safety.

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brewdad
Nevermind the TSA, why didn't the NSA prevent this attack?

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oftenwrong
News sources are now saying that the TSA agent is dead.

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gesman
Every time a child is forced to give up a bottle of water to a TSA agent to
protect the country against terrorists - the parent feels a need to take
matters in his own hands....

