Air passenger charged after bullet primer caps ignite

[Buckaroo]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/28/florida.flight.baggage/index.html?hpt=T2

The unidentified passenger, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was bound for Jamaica, was charged with transportation of hazardous materials. If convicted, he could face a sentence of up to five years.

[DaBears_85]

I wonder what made him think taking hazardous materials on a plane would be a good idea? On the other hand, shouldn't the new 'enhanced screening' methods have caught this at some point? It just goes to show that these new 'procedures' are a joke and nothing more than a way to ween us off of our freedoms by replacing them with a false-sense of security.

On a lighter note, do you think the passenger will be ordered to replace the baggage handlers pants? Or at the very least, have them dry-cleaned? :D

[TehLlama]

It's legal to transport ammunition (and primers) in check-in baggage (hence baggage handler). Either it was packaged very incorrectly, or somebody is getting hosed multiple times by excessively harsh baggage handling.

My last time through a baggage scanner, I had my 1911 and a box of ammunition for it, and decided to keep the lock on my person so that I could throw a multitool in it before it shipped off. When I went to put the lock on that case before they put it on the conveyor belt, they told me I couldn't... I explained I needed to affix a lock to the case.
They agreed, but asked me which case. I said the one with the gun in it.
I got a confused stare from that guy, and then a second from the one operating the x-ray machine. My confidence skyrocketed.

Later that flight, saw my buddies case with a computer inside get hit by a baggage carousel truck. Twice. My instinct is that this passenger is getting hung up to dry by the media in hopes that the TSA and airline won't have to face a massive payout.