Narrative:

Location: gate at mia. We got the paperwork at the gate in sju for an armed individual traveling alone. Paperwork had already been thrown out by the time the problem became evident. His agency was listed as a government agency. When I spoke with him I asked who in government agency needed a gun. He explained he was a special agent with the government agency and was transporting evidence. He was assigned seat xx as I recall. After leaving the aircraft in mia, I was approached by several flight attendants who explained they had found a gun in a seatback pocket. It was the government agency guy's piece - - still in its little black waist pouch. The agent was busy paging this guy to come back to the gate. I do not know if he ever came back for it. This incident makes me feel that we have a gaping hole in our security procedures. We have lots of controls in place to get a weapon onto the airplane but nothing to ensure that it gets off the airplane! Thank goodness it was found by a crew member. Perhaps we should have a procedure in place to have the individual show the piece or confirm to the crew on their way out that they have it. It is not very hard to imagine a passenger with that gun on the next flight of that airplane. Also, an authority/authorized weapons carrier could intentionally leave it hidden on a plane for a co-conspirator to use on a later flight and we would never know, since we have no way of checking that the piece made it off the airplane with the person. I have already spoken by phone with corporate security. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter did not know if the gun had been loaded or not and did not, upon the initial inspection or the departure inspection, check to see if there was a loaded clip inserted in the weapon. The agent was the recipient of that weapon at the gate in mia. Nothing further is known of the aftermath of this incident. The reporter did call the pilot's union and also reported this directly to corporate security. So far as he knew, there is no company procedure for determining if the gun is empty or loaded. He feels that this issue of not checking for the deplaning of the weapon is a loop hole in aircraft security and wants the FAA to be aware of this 'gap.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A300 CAPT RPTS THAT A GUN THAT WAS CARRIED ON BOARD LEGALLY WAS FOUND IN THE SEAT POCKET AFTER THE SUBJECT PAX HAD DEPLANED. RPTR WANTS A CHANGE IN RULINGS THAT WOULD REQUIRE A GUN TO HAVE A 'CTLED EGRESS' AS WELL AS A 'CTLED ENTRY.'

Narrative: LOCATION: GATE AT MIA. WE GOT THE PAPERWORK AT THE GATE IN SJU FOR AN ARMED INDIVIDUAL TRAVELING ALONE. PAPERWORK HAD ALREADY BEEN THROWN OUT BY THE TIME THE PROB BECAME EVIDENT. HIS AGENCY WAS LISTED AS A GOV AGENCY. WHEN I SPOKE WITH HIM I ASKED WHO IN GOV AGENCY NEEDED A GUN. HE EXPLAINED HE WAS A SPECIAL AGENT WITH THE GOV AGENCY AND WAS TRANSPORTING EVIDENCE. HE WAS ASSIGNED SEAT XX AS I RECALL. AFTER LEAVING THE ACFT IN MIA, I WAS APCHED BY SEVERAL FLT ATTENDANTS WHO EXPLAINED THEY HAD FOUND A GUN IN A SEATBACK POCKET. IT WAS THE GOV AGENCY GUY'S PIECE - - STILL IN ITS LITTLE BLACK WAIST POUCH. THE AGENT WAS BUSY PAGING THIS GUY TO COME BACK TO THE GATE. I DO NOT KNOW IF HE EVER CAME BACK FOR IT. THIS INCIDENT MAKES ME FEEL THAT WE HAVE A GAPING HOLE IN OUR SECURITY PROCS. WE HAVE LOTS OF CTLS IN PLACE TO GET A WEAPON ONTO THE AIRPLANE BUT NOTHING TO ENSURE THAT IT GETS OFF THE AIRPLANE! THANK GOODNESS IT WAS FOUND BY A CREW MEMBER. PERHAPS WE SHOULD HAVE A PROC IN PLACE TO HAVE THE INDIVIDUAL SHOW THE PIECE OR CONFIRM TO THE CREW ON THEIR WAY OUT THAT THEY HAVE IT. IT IS NOT VERY HARD TO IMAGINE A PAX WITH THAT GUN ON THE NEXT FLT OF THAT AIRPLANE. ALSO, AN AUTH WEAPONS CARRIER COULD INTENTIONALLY LEAVE IT HIDDEN ON A PLANE FOR A CO-CONSPIRATOR TO USE ON A LATER FLT AND WE WOULD NEVER KNOW, SINCE WE HAVE NO WAY OF CHKING THAT THE PIECE MADE IT OFF THE AIRPLANE WITH THE PERSON. I HAVE ALREADY SPOKEN BY PHONE WITH CORPORATE SECURITY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR DID NOT KNOW IF THE GUN HAD BEEN LOADED OR NOT AND DID NOT, UPON THE INITIAL INSPECTION OR THE DEP INSPECTION, CHK TO SEE IF THERE WAS A LOADED CLIP INSERTED IN THE WEAPON. THE AGENT WAS THE RECIPIENT OF THAT WEAPON AT THE GATE IN MIA. NOTHING FURTHER IS KNOWN OF THE AFTERMATH OF THIS INCIDENT. THE RPTR DID CALL THE PLT'S UNION AND ALSO RPTED THIS DIRECTLY TO CORPORATE SECURITY. SO FAR AS HE KNEW, THERE IS NO COMPANY PROC FOR DETERMINING IF THE GUN IS EMPTY OR LOADED. HE FEELS THAT THIS ISSUE OF NOT CHKING FOR THE DEPLANING OF THE WEAPON IS A LOOP HOLE IN ACFT SECURITY AND WANTS THE FAA TO BE AWARE OF THIS 'GAP.'

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.