Man Arrested After Primers in Luggage Detonate

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A 37-year-old airline passenger was arrested Tuesday in Miami after primer caps for bullets ignited while a baggage handler was unloading a roll-on bag, the FBI said.

>snip<

The flight from Boston landed at Miami International Airport around 11:30 a.m., American Airlines said. The 737 had two pilots, four flight attendants and 148 passengers.

Hundreds of the primer caps were in a bag that ignited, and all of them went off after the first one did, Leverock said. Several hit the baggage handler's shoes, but he was not injured.

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GeorgeFBush
Instead of blaming the passenger for wanting to pack some perfectly legal and safe primers, why isn't anyone asking just how hard that moron baggage handler had to drop-kick the luggage to actually ignite a tiny bag of primers?!?

This is why you leave primers in their original packaging, unless if you want to start an incident...
 
Primers are a no-no on aircraft. Send this guy to the pokey. They are shipped Hazmat. Ground only and for good reason
 
He was going to Jamaica.... which makes sense..... they have draconian gun laws and primers are rather hard to come by there, among other things. Course, who knows what kind of packaging was used. I wouldnt put it past the airline baggage handlers to be able to blow up a box of primers, even in original packaging. [laugh]

-Mike
 
Hundreds of the primer caps were in a bag that ignited, and all of them went off after the first one did, Leverock said. Several hit the baggage handler's shoes, but he was not injured.

how did they get out of the bag? did the baggage handler open it to steal something?

Why is this shit always from boston.
LOL. because we are cool like that. (just kidding)

This guy is an idiot and needs a serious beating.
+1
 
As for getting out of the bag, maybe they burned through whatever they were wrapped in, then whatever bag they were in? Lots of hot sparks from primers, plus if it was tightly wrapped it could create pressure and "pop" open. OTOH, maybe it was being rifled through awefully hard ("wow, this looks like a bag that someone would smuggle pot in!") for some pocketable goodies, and the primers got smacked out of the way.
 
Not to be an idiot here but I'm not a reloader. I've personally shipped tons of ammo out the door and have received tons of ammo in the door via shipping. Yes, it was all ORM-D designated for ground. But, that being said, why would bare primers be any more "dangerous" than when they are loaded into casings? Are they that much more subject to being hit hard enough to go off out of casings? If they 'go off' then, what's to stop 'em from going off in a suitcase as part of a complete cartridge? Seems logical to me but, again, I'm not a reloader and don't buy primers. As for taking them on an airplane, properly packed (maybe this was this fella's problem) I'd think they would be just fine just as would ammunition that's totally legal to carry in your luggage (declared at the TSA counter of course).

Inquiring minds want to know.

Rome
 
But, that being said, why would bare primers be any more "dangerous" than when they are loaded into casings? Are they that much more subject to being hit hard enough to go off out of casings?

1. Yes, they are more likely to go off when dropped that primed cases, assuming they are loose. A single loose primer can even blow a hole in a garbage bag tossed to the curb. If this happens to you, look right and left for the kid with the firecracker then mutter "damn kids!!!".

2. If they are bulk packed (for example, removed from original packing to fit them in a smaller space) they can explode en-masse - not a pop-pop-pop, but a huge bang as the entire batch goes off.

The difference in danger is why the primers need to go hazmat/ground, but ammo can be carried in checked luggage.

As for taking them on an airplane, properly packed (maybe this was this fella's problem) I'd think they would be just fine just as would ammunition that's totally legal to carry in your luggage (declared at the TSA counter of course).

1. This is not correct. Ammo is allowed up to a certain weight limit (generally 11lbs, but 50lbs on Air Alaska), but primers are not.

2. Firearms in checked luggage must be declared to the airline (not to TSA). There is no requirement to declare ammo in checked luggage, but there are requirements as to how it is packed (original mfgs packaging is acceptable)
 
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why would bare primers be any more "dangerous" than when they are loaded into casings? Are they that much more subject to being hit hard enough to go off out of casings?Rome

Someone mentioned about them not being stored in their original packaging.
I heard a report about them being stored in some kind of can?

Take 100 primers bundle them in a small tied bag them whip them agenst the ground. There's a good chance they'll go bang.
Stupid to store them like that because I've dropped individual ones on a wood floor & they were deformed just enough to render it un useable.

Once I was shooting with a buddy & he had his reloads upside down, in plastic boxes on the bench he was shooting at.
One of his ejected caseings came down & hit one of the the rounds on the bench just right & bang! So it does happen.
 
Thanks, Rob, for that info. I had no idea but now I'm edumicated about the dangers of loose primers. I've traveled many times with both ammo and rifles/handguns with no issues so I'm familiar with that side of the equation. I didn't know about individual components but no I do.

Rome
 
My guess is because public sector jobs in Massachusetts are almost never filled on the basis of merit. Therefore, our TSA agents are lazy, grossly underqualified shitheels, even for TSA agents.

Because anyone with 2 working brain cells knows that Logan Airport has NO SECURITY, in spite of everyone throwing technology and money at it. It was NOT a coincidence that the terrorists picked Logan for the start of their dastardly deeds.
 
Therefore, our TSA agents are lazy, grossly underqualified shitheels, even for TSA agents.
This may be true of the checkpoint staff, but all of the FAMs I know who work, or worked, out of Boston are first rate shooters and people.
 
I don't understand why this is not done anymore but back in the mid 1970s I worked for Delta and I can most assuredly tell you that we were instructed to profile each and every passenger who came to the counter. Behind us, there was a door going into the ticket office and on that door was a huge poster that reminded us we were supposed to be wary of anyone paying cash, having no luggage, buying a one-way ticket, or who appeared to be nervous or distracted. We were instructed to call security so they might be chatted up just to make sure they were legit. Why oh why that isn't done any longer is anyone's guess.

Rome
 
Funny how they are irradiating people's nuts but they don't notice a bag of explosives (primers) in someone's baggage.
"Unloading baggage" which means they got to where they were going and then found them.
Which means that could have been a primer sized box of C4 and that plane COULD have been splattered all over the place. Which is just another example of how ineffective these BS security measures are. Look at prisons, those MF'ers come up with all kinds of improvised weapons on a daily basis, largely made up of everyday crap. Human beings are pretty creative (although not the ones that come up with prime time television shows) and if they want to get something on a plane they will. Someone has to come up with a better deterrent.

Like: If you are caught deliberately trying to sneak an explosive on board you get a syringe of pigs blood shot into you and then burned alive on the spot.
 
I don't understand why this is not done anymore but back in the mid 1970s I worked for Delta and I can most assuredly tell you that we were instructed to profile each and every passenger who came to the counter. Behind us, there was a door going into the ticket office and on that door was a huge poster that reminded us we were supposed to be wary of anyone paying cash, having no luggage, buying a one-way ticket, or who appeared to be nervous or distracted. We were instructed to call security so they might be chatted up just to make sure they were legit. Why oh why that isn't done any longer is anyone's guess.

Rome


Duh... because you might offend someone, and we just can't have that anymore in society.

:-(
 
"How many more Mr. Speaker! How many more!!!" We've got to outlaw those exploding bullets quickly. I thinkg NES should lead the charge and petition the local legislators to outlaw them......immediately. Think of the publicity we'd get leading such a charge and law. The Gov would most certainly promote and sign it into law and we'll be protecting the citizens of Massachusetts from those horrible exploding bullets once and for all. And, if we outlaw exploding bullets, only outlaws will have exploding bullets! We'd be able to round them up within a week.

Don't miss this opportunity!!!

Rome (fortunately a resident of Connecticut........we've got our own fish to fry)
 
The Stoughton man who was arrested Tuesday at Miami International Airport after ammunition primer caps exploded in his roll-on luggage also tried to steal four flat-screen televisions from BJ’s Wholesale Club in October, police said.

Orville Andrew Braham, 37, whose last known address was 99 Porter St. in Stoughton, is charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with traveling in interstate commerce without a license to carry ammunition.

>snip<

Stoughton Police Lt. Robert C. Devine said Braham was arrested on Oct. 31 when police found him attempting to steal four flat-screen television sets from a flat truck at BJ’s Wholesale Club in Stoughton. Police who searched Braham in October found a .22-caliber gun in his waistband, Devine said. Braham did not have a license to carry the weapon, Devine said. He was charged by Stoughton police with illegal possession of a firearm and larceny of more than $250.

http://www.enterprisenews.com/featu...exploding-luggage-incident-from-Boston-flight
 
The Stoughton man who was arrested Tuesday at Miami International Airport after ammunition primer caps exploded in his roll-on luggage also tried to steal four flat-screen televisions from BJ’s Wholesale Club in October, police said.

Orville Andrew Braham, 37, whose last known address was 99 Porter St. in Stoughton, is charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with traveling in interstate commerce without a license to carry ammunition.

>snip<

Stoughton Police Lt. Robert C. Devine said Braham was arrested on Oct. 31 when police found him attempting to steal four flat-screen television sets from a flat truck at BJ’s Wholesale Club in Stoughton. Police who searched Braham in October found a .22-caliber gun in his waistband, Devine said. Braham did not have a license to carry the weapon, Devine said. He was charged by Stoughton police with illegal possession of a firearm and larceny of more than $250.

http://www.enterprisenews.com/featu...exploding-luggage-incident-from-Boston-flight

He also claimed he bought the primers at the Holbrook gun show. Not Good.
 
He also claimed he bought the primers at the Holbrook gun show. Not Good.

Well, it was inevitable that the gun show dealers (many are "careless") would create their own problems for all. The gun show promoter (club or commercial venture) can NOT make the dealers follow the laws . . . all they can do it ask them to do the right thing. Ultimately it falls on the dealer to follow the laws. Expect some uncomfortable scrutiny at best . . . attempts to ban shows at the worst (I expect both)!
 
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