U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson has asked for a congressional hearing on airport security following a major gun-smuggling bust at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
In a letter to the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Thursday, Johnson — a Lithonia Democrat — said the bust revealed an “egregious breach in airport security.”
Johnson called for the hearing following allegations that two men smuggled more than 130 firearms on planes from Georgia to New York over the course of eight months last year. Working as a baggage handler at the time, one of the men was able to help get the weapons on the planes by exploiting a gap in security. Not all airline and airport employees must undergo security screenings before entering secure areas at the Atlanta airport, though they do undergo criminal background checks.
”I strongly believe that airline and airport employees should be subjected to the same security procedures as airline passengers, as they have direct access to planes, luggage, and secure areas of airports,” Johnson wrote the committee chairman, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson visited the airport Thursday. He said he would assess requests to beef up screening requirements for airport and airline employees, while noting that would involve a "huge logistics issue, especially at an airport this large."
“I believe that some level of scrutiny is appropriate for employees who work here and who don’t pass through the TSA screening at the gate facilities,” the secretary said.
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