If anyone was wondering about this politician’s party, he’s a Republican.
(No one was actually wondering. We all knew immediately.)
Yeah, I saw Washington and was like, it’s definitely a Republican.
I wouldn’t necessarily make that assumption, I’m a gun toting Democrat myself
Yes, but are you dumb enough to take your gun with you when traveling internationally?
They probably just know there are consequences for their actions. Unlike the politician.
Did anyone actually read the article?
Did you?
“Washington state senator Jeff Wilson was arrested on Saturday at Hong Kong International Airport and charged with possession of a firearm without a license, the charge sheet states, an offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison and a fine of more than $12,000.”
Whoopsies!
The bit where he says he is the one that brought it to the attention of customs.
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That doesn’t make him any less stupid given that he flew to China with an illegal gun in the first place.
no but that’s not really the point I was making
Sure, but it is the point the person you were replying to was making.
But that was the point they were making. Usually if you hear something this outright idiotic you would probably be correct in saying there will be an R by their name. This is coming from someone who leans left and owns guns and grew up around them and learned to respect them. They are a tool.
The stupidity was the giveaway, not the gun.
As others have pointed out, it’s not the gun ownership. It’s the stupid, entitled, law-breaking gun ownership. As you’re a gun-toting Democrat, I fully expect you to be smart enough not to be packing heat on an international flight.
Do you know many gun toting democrats that are bad gun owners?
Yeah, but you probably aren’t going to try to bring a gun to China.
As am I. Been a gun toting democrat since I shipped off to Iraq to look for yellowcake.
Good thing you guys never found any. With that name the Marines would definitely try to eat it.
“he did not realize he had packed his pistol in his briefcase while he and his wife were traveling…“It was an honest mistake.””
He thought he could get away with it or he did make an honest mistake with a deadly weapon in an international incident. Either way, he should be held accountable for his actions in both situations.
I am cognizant enough that I search my pockets and any bags taken on the plane for fluids over 100ml so, yes, a gun seems like something you’d want to be conscious of.
Either way, he should be held accountable for his actions in both situations.
He might, since he was caught outside America, where claiming “I lost track of where my gun was” is an insane defense that would get your gun license revoked forever.
Once back in the US though, we worst he’ll face is some disappointed tutting in his direction. The pro-gun crowd works very hard to ensure the “responsible” part of “responsible gun owner” stays entirely optional.
How can you have any accountability when accidents happen?
Apart from that, the TSA did obviously not notice that he was carrying. Which means they either don’t do their job, or they are worthless as such.
Yes, it’s been known for a while how useless they are. The FBI had undercover agents smuggle explosives through TSA checkpoints and they succeeded most of the time.
I remember a story from a person that was flying as part of a small group of military training instructors, we can rest assured that the TSA stops at least 2 out of every 3 (inert) claymore mines from entering the airplane
Wilson said in the statement that when the plane landed in Hong Kong, he “immediately went to customs officials and called their attention to the issue.”
If his statement is to be trusted, he did not try to get away with it
“It was an honest mistake. And I expect the situation to be resolved shortly,” Wilson said in the statement.
Wilson said in the statement that when the plane landed in Hong Kong, he “immediately went to customs officials and called their attention to the issue.”
I hope he doesn’t assume his status as an American politician will solve the matter. According to the article he volunteered the information. But according to the linked article at RTHK the weapon was found by a customs agent.
TSA is a complete waste of tax dollars
Not a complete waste. But there’s a lack of management if a guy can get on a plane with a gun. I’m guessing he skipped the xray because he’s some fancy pants senator.
yeah.
TSA is nothing but security theater, and… if my memory serves correct, isnt the company that makes body scanners like…linked to several republicans, who pushed for them heavily after 9/11? When before no airport saw the need for them?
Yeah, China, famous for their understanding of high-profile American “mistakes.”
🙄
China either takes the PR win of gun obsessed Americans to extwitter world wide, or they keep him for a trade later on.
Not a diplomat, but it sounds like a coin flip.
14 year possible jail sentence.
Since it was unintentional and out of obscene levels of stupidity, I think he needs some time in a Chinese jail to think about his actions.
I would say about 14 years would do it. It’s for his own good.
It would really show Americans how big on law and order they are.
Guy should have wiped the weapon clean and dumped it into the garbage bin on the plane. I get that he’s aiming for leniency, but he’s in CHINA. They will absolutely use this against the Biden administration.
Putting aside for a second how the US should be dealing with the very real threat of gun violence in this country, I’m always surprised by the misunderstanding of the gravity that carrying a pistol in public has.
Its not just about keeping the safety on and making sure it doesn’t go off in your pants. When you bring a gun with you, you’re introducing a firearm to a situation where in many case there isnt one. That puts you and everyone else around you at significant risk of being shot now, where again, those odds used to be zero. Not only that, you’re basically steering the bus now on who gets shot if violence should break out, and not everyone is trained to handle an actual confrontation with the appropriate skills.
That’s what’s so mind boggling. At the end of the day, carrying a weapon just makes you and everyone around you more likely to be shot, and people feel the need to do that as a state senator in Washington? It sounds pointless. I’ll also add that the process of getting a concealed permit is mostly saying you won’t commit a crime, and getting fingerprinted, that’s generally it.
People who carry weapons around are generally afraid of something, expand that out to an entire nation and you have the USA.
Anyone who needs weapons in order to feel safe in their own country/own home live in a shithole.
…or is a massive coward. Possibly both.
Well, yes. Hence the red hats.
100% this.
“Responsible gun owner”
Who travels to a foreign country without knowing what is in their possession? Answer: Stupid people who should not own a gun.
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Holy shit? Really? This is the most brain dead comment I’ve seen.
Last time I checked hong Kong isn’t America and other countries have their own laws that you have to abide by, because you know, it’s their country. Your second amendment right in another country is as useful as unicorn farts.
Fuck this guy for being a stupid muppet.
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I’m not mad at him. I don’t know him. But, I do know he’s stupid.
LOL why did he bother leaving the USA?? BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD BRO GUNS GUNS GUNS
Its perfectly valid to call someone stupid if they try to smuggle guns through airport security.
You pretty much can’t take a gun anywhere outside the US. Don’t do it unless you want to stay there in their jail cells.
It’s a travel hack for free room and board.
You should go back to Reddit. You’re trash
Good job being stupid.
Imagine being dumb enough to write something like this.
Wilson said he “discovered the weapon mid-flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong.”
The Portland TSA crew is about to get a serious reprimand.
I don’t know if this is still the case, but I read a few years back that the TSA had a zero or near zero success rate in catching items deliberately put through their screening by their own auditors. I’d doubt they’re too worried about it. Their job is not to stop terrorists, it’s to hassle and intimidate innocent travelers to appear as if they’re actually doing something in as flagrant and visible a manner as possible. That’s why it’s called security theater; it’s not real, it’s just play acting.
All he had to do was to approach the crew and tell them he has a gun, asking them if they know what to do next… WCGW
That might have resulted in an in air incident. I would definitely wait till the plane landed.
I don’t stash guns in my briefcase so this wouldn’t be an issue, but let us suppose I did and it was. Then if I made it to Hong Kong, I’d probably dismantle it, dispose of the pieces in separate places, and find out how to safely dispose of the bullets (because I’d hate to trash them and they get tossed into an incinerator and go off or something absurd like that).
I definitely wouldn’t try to fly with it back, but I just don’t know that I could trust authorities to act right.
That poses an additional risk if you intentionally try and dispose of it. The key word being intent. I think if they catch you disposing it at say there receiving area prior to customs/security, that likely would be a more serious offense than declaring it at customs knowing at minimum it will be confiscated.
Most countries are very lenient if you unknowingly brought it contraband but immediately declared it. It becomes less clear when the contraband is illegal within the country. Ie. Bring some fruits and declare and they won’t give a shit. Bring a pound of cocaine and even if you declare, they might still have issue with that.
I should’ve read the article instead of just glancing. I got it into my head that he made it into the country and was in his way out.
And, honestly, I forgot about customs. Yeah nothing to do but notify someone at that point. Because on my last few flights, even international, for whatever reason they’ve just pushed me on through. I look that fucking boring.
Coming from someone who carries daily, I get that sometimes you forget it’s there and carry into a post office or doctors office. What I don’t get is how you forget when going to the airport. Internationally.
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Lol I agree, but its hard to explain to people who aren’t around guns that you can forget there’s a loaded deadly weapon on your belt. It’s very uncomfy and seemingly dangerous at first but after a few months or years it’s like a wallet but you typically use it 0 times a day. You don’t really realize it’s there, more than once I started walking to something that doesn’t allow guns and had to go back to my car to lock it up.
It happens.
But airports, especially intl terminals is pretty unexcusable.
Seems similar to looking for your glasses while wearing them or looking for your phone while talking on it. Sometimes the ol brain just shits the bed.
The firearm is just a tool, it becomes part of your daily routine. You pick it up and holster it like you put your wallet in your pocket and your watch on your wrist.
I check to make sure it’s loaded, but other than that there’s nothing special or exciting about tucking the holster in my belt. No “OMG A GUN” feeling, no excitement, my heart rate doesn’t jump. It’s just normal to be armed and you sort of forget about the heavy lump of metal and plastic secured to your belt.
That being said, I’ve never forgotten about it enough to pack into a prohibited place like a police station or a bar, and CERTAINLY NOT A FUCKING AIRPORT.
Also, we shouldn’t be giving TSA a pass here, assuming the congress critter actually went through security like us normal folks.
What other tools do you carry around with a sole purpose of killing something?
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I keep a knife on me. Its just a piece of metal, not some grand thing. Its not a poket knife eithet its a proper Ka-bar, I have it on my belt and will just forget avout it.
So the only purpose you have that knife is to murder someone?
Less murder more self defense, I have to drive through an area with lots of unstable meth heads and if one of them tries to stab me im returning the favor.
If you forget about carrying your gun, than you are not handling it with the required responsibility.
Does the average person carry a wallet with their cash, credit cards, and ID? It’s pretty important but 99% of the time you don’t think about it. Or keys to their house?
If a gun is on you almost all the time, you don’t really notice it until it’s NOT there, then it’s time for concern.
It’s an important item to keep track of but like a wallet it’s “not there” until you either need it or it’s not there when checking for it.
The question remains: why would you need a gun at all time?
A wallet isn’t going to accidentally fire a hole in your foot. A phone isn’t going to murder someone by force.
Is it really the only way you can feel safe in your own country? Because that only happens in shitholes.
It’s because people who carry are cowardly cunts regardless of what country they’re in. Though its mostly the US types we hear about doing this shit…
Gun owners love making analogies to benign things that aren’t guns. If you get so used to your gun that you forget it’s even there, you’re not being a responsible gun owner. Period.
Lol should I chant to myself when walking my dog? “I have a gun, I have a gun, I have a gun”
In most cases it IS a benign object. Other than the occasional shooting range it doesn’t leave the holster, I’ve never had to draw it, I’ve never shot it outside of the range. I put it on without thinking about it, it stays on my waist where nobody can see it, I don’t feel it there unless I think about it.
Agree to disagree I guess, if you wear something every day and forget it’s there that makes you human not an irresponsible person. Unless you forget about it and enter say… and airport terminal, then you’re a dumbass.
A gun is not a benign object you fucking moron
Well he also isn’t allowed to carry his gun to his job as a senator sooooo…
But mah Second Amendment rights!
Americans who believe their laws are applicable to the rest of the world are the worst.
Sounds like you’re from one of those countries that doesn’t have enough freedom deployed to it. Prepare for freedom to be deployed in 3 . . . 2 . . .
Most responsible gun owner
Also part of the US state government.
fucking great
Excited to hear how American security retaliates against a Chinese official for carrying a thing Americans consider dangerous.
So, probably a book.
I mean, by recent censorship it’d be a book with gay people in it, and China would agree with the arrest.
Rather than just pile on with “idiot LOL” comments I will offer this:
Segregate your airline travel bag from your “other stuff” bag. You need a dedicated backpack or case that you only use for air travel and never anything else.
If you multipurpose your rangebag or whatever, of course you could have potential issues even if you remove the weapons before travel (dogs could alert on the powder residue, etc.)
Likewise if you are a druggie or something you don’t want to accidentally end up in Singapore or Russia with your weedbag you forgot was in your backpack.
Even something as inoccuous as having a backpack you used for camping could backfire on you if you leave your folding knife or lighter in there.
“Druggie” “Weedbag”
Harsh toke brother
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Lol. Americans…
“Ma freedom applies here, right?”
I’m glad they took his gun but they should also take away his briefcase. That vacation is a time for him and his wife to spend together, not for reviewing important briefs. Those can and should wait until he goes back to the office to do whatever 1960’s ass job he has that involves a briefcase and a gun.
Gun violence is very rare in Hong Kong, unlike in the United States where firearms are now the No. 1 killer of children and teens.
O-okay, weird thing to randomly bring up (also not actually true if I remember right)
No, that’s actually true. As of this year, guns are the #1 killer of children and teens in the United States.
Take that cars and swimming pools!
cars and swimming pools are regulated ;)
Wait, but so are gu-----ahhh shit you got me there lol!
Of course guns aren’t regulated! 🤪
You’re high. I can buy a sports car without having a driver’s license (there is no regulation on purchase). Same sports car has no built in restriction on speed.
Sure, if you want to drive it on your own property and do whatever the fuck you want, which will (probably) not affect anyone else.
You want to take it on the road, where your odds of affecting others drastically increases, you have to follow regulations.
And when you purchase a firearm, and want to carry it loaded on your body out of the store, you have to follow regulations as well.
Not in my state I don’t. Perfectly legal for me to conceal carry a non-registered firearm without a license or any certification.
In my state, it’s illegal to drive a car off the lot until it’s insured in your name. I’m sure there’s ways around it with private sales, but it’s honestly pretty analogous.
Right, so you tow your new vehicle from the dealer, bypassing that requirement.
You’re going to need a pile of cash to buy that sports car, because no dealer or bank is going to lend you the money without a driver’s license AND insurance. The dealer won’t even let you off the lot without insurance when you’re signing in some places.
No shit Sherlock. Point being is, if you have the cash, you can do it.
Doesn’t change the fact that there are no top speed regulators on cars. There is nowhere in the US where it’s ok to drive 100+ mph on public roads. Guess what #1 cause of traffic fatalities is?
I’m only skeptical because the last time I heard this claim, when I looked into the study it turned out to only be true if you massaged the data to the point of the headline basically being a lie (it was like, combine all gun homicide, suicide, and accidental deaths but split vehicle accidents and pedestrian collisions into separate categories because vehicle deaths was still larger), but that could have been pre-covid data.
Looking into this one it seems like covid (these are 2021 numbers) might have lowered vehicle deaths and raised gun homicide/suicide enough for it to actually be the leading cause without fudging any numbers, although I’m struggling to find the exact methodology used (the CDC’s website isn’t exactly the most navigable on a phone)
Legally, you have to register that that car and renew annually. To drive that car in the road, you’d have to have a license that you acquired paying a competency test and possibly perform a driving test. You’d also have to have insurance while driving it in public.
Something something snowflakes and having much sex with their feelings.
Not a weird thing to bring up at all. HK regulators are not likely to view this as the semi-serious faux pas that Americans, particularly his constituents, may believe it to be. Americans have a bizarre acceptance of firearms (compared to the rest of the developed world) and our consistent refusal to regulate them despite numerous atrocities is a big factor of how this incident could even have happened in the first place.