Checked Glock keeps failing TSA explosives swab test

[vandal]

Not sure what's going on here but the last few times I've flown with my G48 in a checked bag, the gun has "alarmed" on the TSA swab test resulting in a wait for a supervisor to come and re-test.

Between the first time and today, I've changed out the transport case for a new one, so that's not it.

The G48 slide was refinished in black nitride, if that's relevant. I do clean it.

Is this happening to others, or just me?

[OlongJohnson]

What ammo are you shooting in it?

[txdpd]

The test for nitrates (amongst other things) is registering a positive for the ammunition’s propellant that contains nitrates. Unless G48 is a code name for your dildo and you didn’t clean all the astroglide off it, it’s just trace residue from shooting.

The test are overly sensitive and that’s not going to change.

Edited. I don’t know why they would swab a gun case instead of just doing a physical inspection since it’s an almost guaranteed positive and inspection anyways.

[blues]

I've had the sniffer react to a daypack that was never used for carrying firearms but had been exposed to an area in the Smoky Mountains (Alum Cave) where saltpeter was mined by the Confederacy during the Civil War for gunpowder.

[Trigger]

Edited. I don’t know why they would swab a gun case instead of just doing a physical inspection since it’s an almost guaranteed positive and inspection anyways.[/QUOTE]

Had that happen when flying back from a Gunsite carbine class. Two carbines and two pistols in a case covered with 1200+ rounds of shooting residue. No ammo. Of course it set off the swab test. Of course I needed a TSA supervisor to inspect and initial off. Took 45 minutes of waiting. Sigh.

[olstyn]

I don’t know why they would swab a gun case instead of just doing a physical inspection since it’s an almost guaranteed positive and inspection anyways.

That does seem fundamentally ridiculous, which is of course par for the course with anything related to the TSA.

[Shawn Dodson]

TSA isn't checking for gunpowder residue it's checking for "high explosive" residue that can be masked by gunpowder residue.

[AKDoug]

I've probably flown 50 times with firearms in the last decade. About 50% of the time they don't even open the case. They swab, they stick it in the machine, they say "have a nice flight Doug". I've never had them say a single thing about anything weird about my swab.

[Coyotesfan97]

When I flew to Dallas in 2016 with three other cops my gun case tested positive on the swab. Yep waited for the TSA supervisor. He looked at it and cleared it. It took about 15 minutes.

[Hambo]

TSA isn't checking for gunpowder residue it's checking for "high explosive" residue that can be masked by gunpowder residue.

But if gunpowder residue can be detected and trigger more inspections, how would that aid in smuggling explosives?

[octagon]

I just flew United from Portland Int airport and they swabbed the inside of the case and even under the foam at TSA. It triggered the alarm and a supervisor had to view it to move on. Both the initial TSA guy and the supervisor were very nice pro gun types. As I waited for the supervisor I talked with the initial TSA guy and he was a former cop (years ago) and was all for carrying. The supervisor said "I thought you had a cop with a gun, Where's the Glock" He laughed and said it was fine. The wait was around 10-15 mins and the supervisor was there for under 2 mins. I was carrying a Sig P365 100% stock and it was clean.

Oh and also it wasn't zipped tied on the suitcase either way and at my final airport it came down on the regular belt not special baggage office.

[Zincwarrior]

Are they swabbing to see if the Glock is made of explosives?

"Sir this Glock has traces of explosives on it!"
"Yes, its a gun. It fires explosives to expel the bullet."
Long Pause
"Sir, this Glock has traces of explosives on it!"

[Shawn Dodson]

But if gunpowder residue can be detected and trigger more inspections, how would that aid in smuggling explosives?

They're not checking for gunpowder residue. It's a waste of time to check for gunpowder residue on a gun or guncase because... guess what? They're going to detect gunpowder residue. They're checking for traces of "high explosive" chemicals that the smuggler believes will be masked by gunpowder residue. If a test shows positive for a high explosive chemical and there is none then it's a false positive caused by something else that shows as a high explosive.

[TGS]

They're not checking for gunpowder residue. It's a waste of time to check for gunpowder residue on a gun or guncase because... guess what? They're going to detect gunpowder residue. They're checking for traces of "high explosive" chemicals that the smuggler believes will be masked by gunpowder residue. If a test shows positive for a high explosive chemical and there is none then it's a false positive caused by something else that shows as a high explosive.

Itemizers can give positives for gunshot residue (GSR), which has potassium nitrate. I'm not sure if itemizers are looking only for other nitrates instead (like ammonium nitrate), and how much error needs to occur for it to hit positive on potassium nitrate or whether they are testing or any nitrate to begin with...….but itemizers can and do hit positive for GSR. BTDT; the Brits lose their fucking mind about the idea of GSR on a holster in pretty much the exact same manner Zincwarrior joked about, almost verbatim to the point I think Zincwarrior was watching us when it happened.

Itemizers can also give positives for some hand lotions and soaps, as another chemical they're looking for is glycerin.

When you say itemizers are testing for "high-explosives", that means nitrates. Do you know what nitrates in particular they're testing for? Because otherwise I would think that GSR would pop as a matter of regularity, given it's a nitrate. Regardless of TSA not intentionally trying to find GSR, it's still a nitrate.

[Josh Runkle]

No idea how that works. I’ve flown with a checked Glock tons of times and I never clean them and they swab the case and it always passes.

Stories flying out of Albuquerque after visiting Socorro for a week are fun:

“Here’s my paperwork.”
“It’s ok sir, you have a non-ironic mustache.”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jim Watson]

Itemizers can give positives for gunshot residue (GSR), which has potassium nitrate. .

Not unless you have been shooting black powder.

[Erick Gelhaus]

Edited. I don’t know why they would swab a gun case instead of just doing a physical inspection since it’s an almost guaranteed positive and inspection anyways.

Fwiw, last year flew with a new gun case (think one pistol size pelican-like case). TSA wiping it at the first airport led to a positive result and their handling of it delayed the trip for hours. On the return flight, again when the case was wiped it led to a positive result - but no delay on us flying. Have a former co-worker who does stuff things that go boom and TSA. He checked the case multiple ways, never got the same hit.

Odd.

[ST911]

Haven't had the problems OP describes, multiple flights in the last year, various airports and airlines, all with checked guns. No machine or hand-inspection issues. Good folks.

For bags and gun cases clearly marked for routing to the baggage claim office, handlers are running only about a 50% success rate. When checking a bag with a pistol, and then a pelican with a rifle, one ends up in the office and one ends up on the carousel. Flip a coin on which goes where.

And for the folks at Delta Airlines and TSA in MSP, at MSP yet again. You guys are fantastic.

[txdpd]

I certainly hope TSA is trying to find gunshot residue, which is just trace amounts of unburned powder. Without getting in the nuances of how down a plane, it'd be pretty stupid to not look for it. Emphasis on trace amounts of unburned powder.

The thresholds of the test and what they are looking for is not public information, and that's deliberate. The online complaints, speculation, and misinformation are an excellent deterrent. Probably better than the test themselves.