The Nation : Airport Security Lacking

Security measures at the nation’s airports have detected tens of thousands of firearms and may have averted more than 100 hijackings but need to be strengthened, a congressional report said. The report urged more extensive background checks of the people who staff security posts at the airports and more research and development on new technology to detect weapons and explosives. Since 1973, the Federal Aviation Administration’s program for screening passengers and their carry-on baggage has detected more than 30,000 firearms and resulted in the arrest of nearly 13,000 people. An estimated 78.4 billion pieces of carry-on baggage have been screened since 1973, the report noted.