I just read about the negligent firearm discharge by a commercial airline pilot, then I ran across this video which demonstrates the combination of holster and padlock design which led to the event.

I’ve embedded the video below; it’s short and well worth watching. Apparently TSA bureaucrats have managed to develop a way to secure a firearm that is both ridiculously inconvenient and frightfully unsafe. The Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which TSA administers, requires pilots who would be armed to keep their guns locked and unusable when not in the cockpit with the cockpit doors secured. Moreover, the TSA prescribes a specific holster, and a specific lock attached to the holster. The problem, as you’ll see below, is that it’s frighteningly easy to accidentally attach the lock such that it activates the trigger, firing the weapon!

Personally, I think any individual trusted by the Federal government to fly commercial aircraft is probably responsible enough to carry a loaded handgun without an absurd padlock on the trigger, but even if the only thing between airline pilots and accidental gunfire is a bureaucrat-approved padlock, I would think it should be obvious that the padlock itself should not be capable of causing the gun to fire. Fortunately for me, I don’t work for the TSA, which seems tireless in its efforts to expunge common sense and reason from every aspect of its operations.

Anyway, watch the video and draw your own conclusion:

Don’t worry though, we’re much safer with TSA on the job.