Senator Charles Schumer is calling for daily federal screening of airport and airline workers for weapons following last month's arrests of five men accused of smuggling guns through the New York and Atlanta airports.
The New York Democrat, joined by Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson, is asking the Transportation Security Administration "to immediately implement a national requirement that all airports develop a daily screening plan that works for their facility. There is simply no good reason not to take this step."
Pilots and flight crews pass through TSA metal detectors. But Schumer says many employees who work in the secure sections of airports are exempt.
Five people, including an airline baggage handler face charges of illegally shipping firearms between Atlanta and New York on passenger jets, including 153 guns seized during a seven-month investigation.
