Thejoyofdriving
Regular Member
I came out of an airport last week, and while waiting in a food court for my ride to get there I decided to discreetly put on my holster(thinking that my ride would arrive soon). Im pretty sure I could have carried in that area if I wanted to, but I did not want to for obvious reasons. A TSA guy walks by and his eyes go :shocker: He runs over to another TSA guy and they start talking and pointing. At this point I'm thinking to myself "oh great". I just look over and smile. A few minutes pass and then a LEO makes contact with me. I recorded the event but the quality isnt that great so I will just transcribe the jist of what happened.
Officer1: Hi there.
Me: Hi
Officer 1: What are you doing?
Me: Waiting for my ride
Officer1: Ok, do you have a firearm?
Me: (answering this was my mistake, I know I shouldnt have answered. I have been training myself to limit verbal diarrhea when talking to LEOs but I slipped up this time) Yes, In my bag.
Officer1: Ok well your going to need to show me ID and I am going to make sure the firearm is legally registered to you.
Me: Sorry Sir, I do not think you have that obligation or authority. I would like to exercise my 4th amendment right against unreasonable searches. I am not doing anything illegal correct?
Officer1: Correct, I just want to make sure that weapon belongs to you. So please show me some ID
Me: Sorry Sir, I am not required to identify myself.
Officer1: Ok well I am going to look in your bag and make sure they weapon is inside the bag.
Me: Sorry Sir, I do not consent to any searches.
Officer1: Well his is federal property so things are a little different. (The airport has been owned by the city for almost 100 years, I dont get how it is federal property)
Me: I have no problem with you searching my bag as long as you can produce some sort of law, PC, etc that says I must give up my 4A rights at this time I will not allow a search of my bag.
Officer1: Ok, well I have no problem with that as long as my Sgt. is ok with it.
(he steps away to talk to his Sgt. , many other LEOs show up)
Me(talking to other LEOs) Am I being detained?
Sheriff: Nope.
(I ask Officer1 the same, he says no)
My ride should have been there 5 min ago...so I wait.
His Sgt arrives and they begin to "team up" on me.
Officer2: We are going to look inside your bag.
Me: Sorry sir, I do not consent to any searches.
Officer2: Where is the weapon?
Me: In the bag.
Officer1: Ok well you have an empty holster, which means you have a weapon, and we want to make sure its not in your waistband or in your pocket.
Me: I do not consent, but I will not obstruct you.
They begin searching
Me: May I ask, what allows this search?
Officer2: You have an empty holster...(I stopped him right there)
Me: Which is not illegal right?
Officer2: Correct, and it means you probably have a firearm
Me: Again, that is not illegal correct?
Officer2: Correct, your not doing anything wrong.
Me: Ok, for the record(they knew I was recording), could you state if there is any reasonable suspicion or probable cause that a crime is being committed, or may be committed?
Officer2: You have an empty holster sir, on airport property.
meanwhile officer1 CUTS the TSA placed ziptie that is sealing my luggage and proceeds to check the bag, he shakes the locked gun case which has also been sealed, and says "oh, its pretty light" At this point, I am thinking to myself, really.....really....is he really going to cut another TSA seal and make me open it. I just tell him "its a polymer frame, its light". After this they "cut me loose".
I don't know for sure, but I sure felt that my rights were violated. They harassed me for a holster(which I had on openly), in an area in which I believe I could have even been OCing if I wanted too. I denied consent MULTIPLE times, but they still searched. The officers kept saying it was federal property. Can someone explain to me how a city owned airport is federal property? Furthermore, the physically cut a TSA placed ziptie. It was obvious I never even opened the bag since SFO.
They stated that the only probable cause they had, was that I had an empty holster(which is not illegal), and that I might have a firearm(which I told them was in the sealed bag), again which is not illegal. So, while conducting myself, lawfully, they had probable cause, that I was doing legal things, having a weapon in my sealed bag, and carrying a holster.
What do you guys think? If my feeling is right, and what they did was wrong, then I don't want to let their actions go unpunished. Or maybe everything they did was legal....thats what Im trying to find out.
Officer1: Hi there.
Me: Hi
Officer 1: What are you doing?
Me: Waiting for my ride
Officer1: Ok, do you have a firearm?
Me: (answering this was my mistake, I know I shouldnt have answered. I have been training myself to limit verbal diarrhea when talking to LEOs but I slipped up this time) Yes, In my bag.
Officer1: Ok well your going to need to show me ID and I am going to make sure the firearm is legally registered to you.
Me: Sorry Sir, I do not think you have that obligation or authority. I would like to exercise my 4th amendment right against unreasonable searches. I am not doing anything illegal correct?
Officer1: Correct, I just want to make sure that weapon belongs to you. So please show me some ID
Me: Sorry Sir, I am not required to identify myself.
Officer1: Ok well I am going to look in your bag and make sure they weapon is inside the bag.
Me: Sorry Sir, I do not consent to any searches.
Officer1: Well his is federal property so things are a little different. (The airport has been owned by the city for almost 100 years, I dont get how it is federal property)
Me: I have no problem with you searching my bag as long as you can produce some sort of law, PC, etc that says I must give up my 4A rights at this time I will not allow a search of my bag.
Officer1: Ok, well I have no problem with that as long as my Sgt. is ok with it.
(he steps away to talk to his Sgt. , many other LEOs show up)
Me(talking to other LEOs) Am I being detained?
Sheriff: Nope.
(I ask Officer1 the same, he says no)
My ride should have been there 5 min ago...so I wait.
His Sgt arrives and they begin to "team up" on me.
Officer2: We are going to look inside your bag.
Me: Sorry sir, I do not consent to any searches.
Officer2: Where is the weapon?
Me: In the bag.
Officer1: Ok well you have an empty holster, which means you have a weapon, and we want to make sure its not in your waistband or in your pocket.
Me: I do not consent, but I will not obstruct you.
They begin searching
Me: May I ask, what allows this search?
Officer2: You have an empty holster...(I stopped him right there)
Me: Which is not illegal right?
Officer2: Correct, and it means you probably have a firearm
Me: Again, that is not illegal correct?
Officer2: Correct, your not doing anything wrong.
Me: Ok, for the record(they knew I was recording), could you state if there is any reasonable suspicion or probable cause that a crime is being committed, or may be committed?
Officer2: You have an empty holster sir, on airport property.
meanwhile officer1 CUTS the TSA placed ziptie that is sealing my luggage and proceeds to check the bag, he shakes the locked gun case which has also been sealed, and says "oh, its pretty light" At this point, I am thinking to myself, really.....really....is he really going to cut another TSA seal and make me open it. I just tell him "its a polymer frame, its light". After this they "cut me loose".
I don't know for sure, but I sure felt that my rights were violated. They harassed me for a holster(which I had on openly), in an area in which I believe I could have even been OCing if I wanted too. I denied consent MULTIPLE times, but they still searched. The officers kept saying it was federal property. Can someone explain to me how a city owned airport is federal property? Furthermore, the physically cut a TSA placed ziptie. It was obvious I never even opened the bag since SFO.
They stated that the only probable cause they had, was that I had an empty holster(which is not illegal), and that I might have a firearm(which I told them was in the sealed bag), again which is not illegal. So, while conducting myself, lawfully, they had probable cause, that I was doing legal things, having a weapon in my sealed bag, and carrying a holster.
What do you guys think? If my feeling is right, and what they did was wrong, then I don't want to let their actions go unpunished. Or maybe everything they did was legal....thats what Im trying to find out.
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