ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Sen. 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 require all U.S. airports to screen staff when they start work.
Currently, pilots and flight crews pass through the TSA metal detectors. But Schumer says many employees who work in the secure sections of airports are exempt.
Authorities have charged five people, including an airline baggage handler, with illegally shipping firearms between Atlanta and New York on passenger jets, including 153 guns seized during the seven-month investigation.
