Locked and UNloaded – In a 7/23 email to subscribers Gun Tests magazine announced that its August issue will contain a story that National Guard troops deployed in many airports after 9/11 carried unloaded weapons.
Knight-Ridder newspapers have reported that armed National Guard troopers deployed to airports for security following September 11 did not always carry ammunition in their pistols or M16 rifles, though they may have had access to magazines loaded with live rounds. National Guardsmen called up for security remained under the control of their state’s governor, who determined policy on firearms. According to Guardsmen who served at Philadelphia’s airport for seven months following the terrorist attacks, the armed soldiers at 16 airports around Pennsylvania were forbidden from patrolling with loaded firearms. The newspapers report that New York Guardsmen were also required to keep empty magazines in their rifles and pistols.
Pardon me if this is old news to everyone, but I missed it earlier. A quick check revealed that the Philadelphia Inquirer published the leading article on this matter on May 26. An excerpt:
The Pa. guardsmen’s presence was intended to reassure passengers. But they say their ability to handle an emergency was compromised….
For seven months, more than 80 National Guard troops watched almost 12 million passengers walk through the gates and security checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport.
Among the most visible responses to the war on terrorism, the soldiers stood ready, dressed in Army fatigues, their 9mm pistols strapped to their sides.
But the guns had no bullets.
Sounds like someone in authority went off half-cocked.
