GSR (gun shot residue) at TSA checkpoints

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  • Rouser

    Proud Eastern Shoreman
    Jul 27, 2012
    51
    Wicomico & Talbot Cos.
    My wife will be traveling internationally in a few weeks. In a discussion with a friend of hers, she mentioned that I would be shooting about 4 days before she is scheduled to depart. The friend told her that would be a bad idea because the TSA sensors will be able to detect any recent GSR that may have transfered from me to her and possibly to her bags in the car. Does anyone have any reliable info on this? How long will GSR remain on a person and clothes? I told her I doubt that it will be a problem because there will be several showers for us both before she travels. I also think TSA doesn't check for GSR, only for chemical compounds associated with predetonated explosives, but I'm not sure of that. And what happens to someone they get a positive hit on for GSR if the test for it?
    Any comments will be helpful. Thanks!
     

    Sundazes

    My brain hurts
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 13, 2006
    21,294
    Arkham
    I have been shooting a couple days before many a flight with no issues. Just don't use your range bag as carry on...
    As a mater of fact< I am goint go tomorrow and fly out tues morn.
    YMMV
     

    Doitsouthstyle

    Active Member
    Apr 4, 2012
    981
    Baltimore County
    Can't speak for TSA and there sensors but I have went out shooting on Saturday's and on Monday walking through the sensors at numerous Nuclear power plants in our area and never had a problem or concern. And there security is supposed to be pretty high up there.
     

    wabbit

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 29, 2010
    5,203
    The friend doesn't know what he or she is talking about. The explosive detection machines used by the TSA look for explosives. They are the Itemizer DX and Itemizer 3 models, depending on which airport you go to. These machines aren't very reliable and sometimes give false positives, but how accurate they are depends a lot on their maintenance and calibration. Having seen the general demeanor and intelligence of TSA security people at various airports across the US, I don't have much hope these machines are regularly maintained and calibrated properly.
     

    yakfish

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Jan 27, 2017
    240
    I've gone through airports (BWI, SKY Harbor) with carry-on backpacks that had actual explosive traces on them. I was using the bags to carry 50 meter coils of detcord, caps and Comp B, plus some directional cutting charges. Comp B is about the texture of really hard clay, and if you take off the plasti-foil wrapper, it leaves residue on fabric. My bag had some of this stuff on the inside and and on the straps from handling it. If there were sniffer machines in use, they don't work very well, because no one ever looked twice at me.
     

    Matlack

    Scribe
    Dec 15, 2008
    8,555
    Have you seen the reports about how bad the TSA is? The can't find actual firearms or drugs, let alone residue from several days ago.
     

    Pstango

    Active Member
    Sep 21, 2011
    769
    Mary Esther, FL
    Yeah... I've flown on several international flights over the past several years and I've never once been stopped or questioned. The last time I flew out I shot several hundred rounds at the range the day before my flight. I used to use one of my sling bags as a range bag / rifle rest. It's black in places from gun powder residue... It came with me to Korea as my carry on during my last trip there. No issues...
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    I got got called out and my hands swept over once. When I asked what they were looking for they said gunpowder. I was shooting the day before and it was not an international flight. I figured they just seen the camo hat and had to check somebody.
     

    ToolAA

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 17, 2016
    10,499
    God's Country
    My wife had been cleaning hey Kiln during the last day of school and that afternoon we were flying out to KC. When she went through the MMW scanner she lit up like a Christmas Tree. Bright yellow spots all over her crotch, inner thighs, sleeves. The kid working the machine made an "oh $hit" face and called a female agent over. The gave her the full body rubdown and then a few test swabs at the fancy pancy tester, but eventually let her through.

    Best we could figure here was some high density glazing reside that got all over pants and sleeves while cleaning.

    That was a bad TSA trip all around I'm still pissed they confiscated my KC BBQ sauce on the way back. At least in KC they were actually sympathetic to my misfortune.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     

    TheGunnyRet

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 27, 2014
    2,234
    Falling Waters, WV
    THE GSR you speak of is not being looked for on your person...they have NO SNIFFERS that check your person.

    I am in the ME and when they swipe your "laptop" when they decide too...they are looking for Cordite, GP, AN, and I am around 25mm TOW Missiles , 90mm rounds all the time on the Ranges. An occasionally I get a hit for cordite and then present my credentials.

    Don't have anything in your Carry On Period; knives, gifts, water bottles, whatever, any thing that can signal the incompetent screeners...pack it all into your checked baggage...

    It is a pain but you don't have them taking it and trashing it. JMA
     

    AlBeight

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 30, 2017
    4,371
    Hampstead
    Has anyone had a problem at a facility's security checkpoint that swabs your door handles, hood latch, trunk lid, & steering wheel after shooting the day before? In particular black powder shooting or hunting on Saturday then entering the facility Monday AM?

    Luckily I drive a company car for work, because I doubt my truck would pass these tests. That's always worried me because sometimes I do drive my truck to work. I've always wanted to ask the officers but I don't want to raise their suspicions any more than they already are. I don't want it to seem I'm trying to learn how to circumvent security procedures for more nefarious purposes, but I definitely don't want to get popped for something I didn't do, or cause a big misunderstanding.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    While at least in theory, well intentioned, the TSA is full of people with insufficient training and often poorly supervised (I was a federal officer and observe them every time I travel). Once when going through a security checkpoint, I put my badge wallet in the tray to go though x-ray. The TSA agent picked my badge, looked at it and me, and asked "You...FBI?" My badge had my agency and its initials clearly displayed and in no way, shape or form did it say "FBI". I guess the guy had insufficient education in English.

    Another trip...this time international...I was at LAX going though their security line. While many trays of personal belongings were passing through the x-ray, several agents were looking at one another and chatting and not paying attention to the screens at what was passing through. There could have been weapons and who knows what passing unnoticed in front of them. I think it just hows that job is mind numbing and boring. Their supervisors are little better...but they have a government job and benefits which is essentially what they care about and the politicians get to brag about how many there are with no mention of their effectiveness and performance.
     

    ericoak

    don't drop Aboma on me
    Feb 20, 2010
    6,806
    Howard County
    THE GSR you speak of is not being looked for on your person...they have NO SNIFFERS that check your person.

    I am in the ME and when they swipe your "laptop" when they decide too...they are looking for Cordite, GP, AN, and I am around 25mm TOW Missiles , 90mm rounds all the time on the Ranges. An occasionally I get a hit for cordite and then present my credentials.

    Don't have anything in your Carry On Period; knives, gifts, water bottles, whatever, any thing that can signal the incompetent screeners...pack it all into your checked baggage...

    It is a pain but you don't have them taking it and trashing it. JMA

    TSA definitely swabs a random sampling of people hands.
     

    smokey

    2A TEACHER
    Jan 31, 2008
    31,412
    I've gone through airports (BWI, SKY Harbor) with carry-on backpacks that had actual explosive traces on them. I was using the bags to carry 50 meter coils of detcord, caps and Comp B, plus some directional cutting charges. Comp B is about the texture of really hard clay, and if you take off the plasti-foil wrapper, it leaves residue on fabric. My bag had some of this stuff on the inside and and on the straps from handling it. If there were sniffer machines in use, they don't work very well, because no one ever looked twice at me.

    My wife had been cleaning hey Kiln during the last day of school and that afternoon we were flying out to KC. When she went through the MMW scanner she lit up like a Christmas Tree. Bright yellow spots all over her crotch, inner thighs, sleeves. The kid working the machine made an "oh $hit" face and called a female agent over. The gave her the full body rubdown and then a few test swabs at the fancy pancy tester, but eventually let her through.

    Best we could figure here was some high density glazing reside that got all over pants and sleeves while cleaning.

    That was a bad TSA trip all around I'm still pissed they confiscated my KC BBQ sauce on the way back. At least in KC they were actually sympathetic to my misfortune.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    Haha gotta love the TSA. Yakfish smears on comp b for sunblock and sails through while your wife gets the run around for pottery. Good times. Thank jebus they didnt let you take down a plane with bbq sauce.
     

    Alan3413

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 4, 2013
    16,921
    Some sauces cause toxic gastric emissions that can be deadly in enclosed spaces
     

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