I hate you.
I flew out of PDX yesterday morning, and almost missed my flight because I got RAVAGED at security.
I shoot competitively for Boise State University, therefore I fly with weapons a couple times a year and I have NEVER been treated the way I was yesterday morning.
I get to the airport, wait in line, check my other bag, and ask for a firearms declaration. So far so good, helpful ticket agent, declaration in my case. I then take my case down to security, hand it to the idiot blue-shirted dude, and went to the other side to wait for the 'all clear' so I could go get on my plane....if only it were that easy.
After the run through the machine the TSA agent asks me if the magazines are full, I of course answer yes. He tells me that is not how you are supposed to pack them, I kindly informed him that I fly with weapons every couple of months and it is perfectly fine. He then asks for my key to open my case, I politely tell him 'no', and ask him to call a supervisor. He turned around and made a radio call that undoubtedly married the words 'passenger' and 'guns'. We all know what happens when TSA says those two magic words!!!!
6 PORT OF PORTLAND POLICE OFFICERS SHOW UP! Yes, SIX. 1 of whom turned out to be nice, and 1 who would have arrested me if I would have had an unpaid parking ticket on my record. Anyway, I figured they would confirm what I knew - that I was legally flying. But NO, they ask me how my ammo was packaged, I told them, and mentioned I fly just like this ALL THE TIME. They told me that was illegal and I needed to:
1. Call my dad back to the airport
2. Take my guns off of the port of Portland owned land
3. Unload my magazines
4. Come back to the airport and reschedule my flight
I was becoming irritated at this point, and 'bubblegum head cop' didn't like that. At some point in our verbal exchange I mentioned my OR CHL and how I could be legally carrying where I was standing in the airport. I had told him I was from WA when talking about unloading my mags, and he asked how I had an OR CHL. I was flabbergasted, and showed it to him...he obviously kept it and asked for my WA license. While he was looking at both ID's he realized they matched, shocking I know. He then walks back behind the area I can't go. I can see part of my case lying on the table. 'Nice cop' comes over and asks for my key and says that we can work this out. He said he needed the key because my mags were on a lower layer then my guns and the x-ray machine couldn't see them in their entirety. Seemed like a logical argument, I gave him the keys.
I continue to watch while they take all 3 of my guns out, pull the first layer of foam out and then look at the mags. I'm more than a little pissed at this point, and I hadn't even got a naked picture of me taken from the security line yet.
Nice cop comes over and asks me why I have 'scary' guns. I told him I shoot competitively for Boise State and was just taking them back for Christmas break. We started talking, and he turned out to be a nice guy...even if it was just to distract me from the other officer RUNNING THE SERIAL NUMBERS ON EACH OF MY GUNS.
Much to his disapproval, none of the guns were stolen, and I didn't have a warrant out for my arrest. So a-hole cop comes back over and says: 'Apparently it's changed, you are allowed to carry ammo like this'.
No kidding!!!
I had a long security line in front of me and didn't feel like being talked down to anymore so I didn't argue with him about that or running the serial numbers on my guns. I of course wasn't allowed behind the rope, and therefore had to watch as they brutally repackaged my babies and fought to clip it like the Battle at Kruger. I got my keys returned to me after I made sure they locked it, and was on my way.
I flew out of PDX yesterday morning, and almost missed my flight because I got RAVAGED at security.
I shoot competitively for Boise State University, therefore I fly with weapons a couple times a year and I have NEVER been treated the way I was yesterday morning.
I get to the airport, wait in line, check my other bag, and ask for a firearms declaration. So far so good, helpful ticket agent, declaration in my case. I then take my case down to security, hand it to the idiot blue-shirted dude, and went to the other side to wait for the 'all clear' so I could go get on my plane....if only it were that easy.
After the run through the machine the TSA agent asks me if the magazines are full, I of course answer yes. He tells me that is not how you are supposed to pack them, I kindly informed him that I fly with weapons every couple of months and it is perfectly fine. He then asks for my key to open my case, I politely tell him 'no', and ask him to call a supervisor. He turned around and made a radio call that undoubtedly married the words 'passenger' and 'guns'. We all know what happens when TSA says those two magic words!!!!
6 PORT OF PORTLAND POLICE OFFICERS SHOW UP! Yes, SIX. 1 of whom turned out to be nice, and 1 who would have arrested me if I would have had an unpaid parking ticket on my record. Anyway, I figured they would confirm what I knew - that I was legally flying. But NO, they ask me how my ammo was packaged, I told them, and mentioned I fly just like this ALL THE TIME. They told me that was illegal and I needed to:
1. Call my dad back to the airport
2. Take my guns off of the port of Portland owned land
3. Unload my magazines
4. Come back to the airport and reschedule my flight
I was becoming irritated at this point, and 'bubblegum head cop' didn't like that. At some point in our verbal exchange I mentioned my OR CHL and how I could be legally carrying where I was standing in the airport. I had told him I was from WA when talking about unloading my mags, and he asked how I had an OR CHL. I was flabbergasted, and showed it to him...he obviously kept it and asked for my WA license. While he was looking at both ID's he realized they matched, shocking I know. He then walks back behind the area I can't go. I can see part of my case lying on the table. 'Nice cop' comes over and asks for my key and says that we can work this out. He said he needed the key because my mags were on a lower layer then my guns and the x-ray machine couldn't see them in their entirety. Seemed like a logical argument, I gave him the keys.
I continue to watch while they take all 3 of my guns out, pull the first layer of foam out and then look at the mags. I'm more than a little pissed at this point, and I hadn't even got a naked picture of me taken from the security line yet.
Nice cop comes over and asks me why I have 'scary' guns. I told him I shoot competitively for Boise State and was just taking them back for Christmas break. We started talking, and he turned out to be a nice guy...even if it was just to distract me from the other officer RUNNING THE SERIAL NUMBERS ON EACH OF MY GUNS.
Much to his disapproval, none of the guns were stolen, and I didn't have a warrant out for my arrest. So a-hole cop comes back over and says: 'Apparently it's changed, you are allowed to carry ammo like this'.
No kidding!!!
I had a long security line in front of me and didn't feel like being talked down to anymore so I didn't argue with him about that or running the serial numbers on my guns. I of course wasn't allowed behind the rope, and therefore had to watch as they brutally repackaged my babies and fought to clip it like the Battle at Kruger. I got my keys returned to me after I made sure they locked it, and was on my way.
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