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Comment by ljosa | Hacker News Reader

The TSA will refer you to the local police. What happens next depends on the local laws. In some states you will be arrested (e.g., Massachusetts, where a law prohibits most people from carrying guns into three of the state's airports). In other states, forgetting to take a gun out of your bag is no different from forgetting to take a water bottle out, and you will be allowed to return the gun to your car before going through security again and boarding your flight (e.g., Georgia, which passed the Safe Carry Protection Act in 2014).

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> allowed to return the gun to your car

Ha ha! What an American comment! Not only having a gun, but driving your own car to the Airport. Americans love guns but hate public transport! Hilarious!

The majority of American airports are not serviced by trains. Public transport to an airport usually involves several bus transfers and at least an extra hour or more of travel time, on top of having to transport your luggage on and off each bus and hoping there is room for you and your items.

Americans don't hate public transport, it's just simply not available like it is in Europe. A lot of this stems historically from automotive manufacturers buying up streetcar companies and then dismantling them to force people to drive and also the antiquated rail infrastructure that gives preference to freight cargo over passenger trains.

Its weird. Public transportation to many airports in the US is surprisingly inconvenient. This isn't true for some airports but true for many.

Not everyone lives in a town with an airport so many people have to travel 100 miles or more to the nearest airport which may not be possible to do via public transportation if you live in the countryside.

What do you mean "but"? Both are entirely consistent with an attitude of self-sufficiency.

I drive to London Heathrow airport because I hate hauling heavy cases on the Tube and long stay parking works out cheaper than the return journey by minicab. I don't have a gun but I would be pretty inconvenienced if I had to go all the way back to my car from the security line (it's about 15 mins each way on the airport shuttle bus) so I'd be motivated to review my luggage before locking my car.

> Ha ha! What an American comment! Not only having a gun, but driving your own car to the Airport.

It's not an American-only thing. I live about 20 km from the local international airport. It's 1 hour 20 minutes by train (at daytime), 20 minutes by car. Also, there's less walking if I drive. Which one shall I take? Not a difficult decision.

We non-motorists also don't carry guns around, for the most part.

For the most part, no one carries guns around. In the US, some 3%ish of the population has concealed carry permits. (In some states, permits are not required at all, but the overall percentage won't be hugely higher.)

5.2% as of last summer, and the numbers continue to skyrocket, I would bet at least 6% as of now, 5.2% represents a 15.4% increase in just one year. 7 states also have Constitutional Carry, no license required (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Maine, Vermont (never banned carrying) and Wyoming (for residents)). Gun sales, both total and type, are reflecting this.

Since some very populous states, including #1 California and #4 New York are mostly no issue, the percentages are even greater in the 43 Shall Issue or better states, a number are getting up to 10%. The percentages are even greater when you adjust to the age eligible population.

So quite a bit higher than "no one", although of course having a licence does not equal routinely or always carrying.

Oh sure, the more the merrier. Just pointing out that the "for the most part" is kind of a silly criterion.

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