Hi all,

Had a distrubing experience at the airport two days ago that I'd like to share.  I fly a lot for bueiness; I've never had a single problem and have actually become quite adept at navigating the security proceedures at the airports.  I've never complained, and I've never been hassled in any way.  On Monday afternoon, I went to the ticket counter to check in for a flight to Philly.  I usually use the automated check in for US Air, but it kicked me out and told me to see an agent.  No problem; this happens sometimes when your real early or late for a flight (I was early).  The agent looks at my ID and remarks that:

I'm on the FBI "do not fly" list.  

Very matter-of-fact and polite.  She then takes my ID to someone else behind the counter and they spend some time puncing numbers into a computer.  She then comes back and tells me I'm "cleared" and that I should not have problems on the return portion of the flight.  However, i was cautioned that on subsequent trips, i should expect this "special treatment" until I'm off the list.  How does one get off the list?  No one seems to be able to answer that question.  I told that there have been people on it for years, and not all of the were treated as courteously as I  was.  Sometimes the police are called in.  Many times your stuff is ransacked.  Sometimes people are detained.  I was relatively lucky.  

Had it been a busy day/time at the airport, things could have been a LOT worse.  I suspect that this will hamstring me at some point when i'm ina hurry to get on a flight (happens a lot with business travel).  So, in the course of thinking about how the hell to get OFF the list, my thoughts natually turned to how I got ON the list.  What changed between now and the last time I flew (6 weeks ago - more than normal)???

The ONLY thing thats changed in my life durring that window is... wait for it... I bought a firearm (an AR15, actually).  I'm a pretty practical guy, and I vote to the right.  I support the war on terror and this administration, so its not like I have some political "beef" with the feds.  Hell, I held a top secret clearance with the DOE at one time; I've never failed any kind of drug/background check.  I'm your average, suburban, patriotic white guy.  

Perhaps its coincidence.  Maybe some bad guy somewhere used my name as an alias at some point (???).  I don't know.  but it sure seems odd to me that one day I'm welcome in the "friendly" skies, and then I go do something "evil" like buying a gun, and suddenly I'm suspect.  It just seems... strange.  

Has ANYONE here heard of this, or anything like it?  Personal experience or "just a guy you knew".  Like i said, this may just be me and my conspiracy theory out for a stroll on the internet, but I'd really like to get of that list.  Of course, if it has anything to do with excercising my right to legally purchase a firearm.. well thats just an abomination.  

Any help ???

Thanks !

(PS:  sorry if its the wrong forum: feel free to move it)

And you thought the government didn't save your Brady check information . . . well, now you know . . .  

[Edited to add a for the sarcasm impaired!]

Quoted: Hi all, Had a distrubing experience at the airport two days ago that I'd like to share.  I fly a lot for business; I've never had a single problem and have actually become quite adept at navigating the security proceedures at the airports.

IIRC this could get ya on the list, flying alot that is......

Mike

.

Quoted: And you thought the government didn't save your Brady check information . . . well, now you know . . .

That still only states "longarm" or "handgun"

I wouldn't suspect that buying your AR-15 got you on any list.  I buy firearms every couple of months, and I recently applied for Concealed Carry (still waiting to hear back on it).  I fly every 3-4 weeks for work, with occasional personal travel.  I've never seen any security problems.  I'd guess someone else with your same name got on the list, and once they checked your Driver's License number or SSN, they found you're not the guy they're after.  

This is a good reason to write your congressman and suggest that they develop a more efficient way to handle this component of Homeland Security.

well.... you should have had your "tin foil hat" on...!!! they woudlnt have known it was you then....

The War On Terrorism is being brought to you by the same morons who brought us the War on Drugs. You are now part of an elite class - Ted Kennedy, Cat Stevens, etc.

Pretty stupid eh? Your name is on a list and you are deemed to dangerous to fly on airplane due to possibility of hijack, but you a free to go about the country by other means and do whatever - buy dangerous assault weapons, rent Ryder Trucks....

Well, I've flown a lot for some time now.  I never had an issue.  Supposedly it took close to an act of Congress to get Ted f-ing Kennedy off the list; I don't have that kind of pull.  How

I really am hoping that buying a firearm of ANY type doesn't subject someone to scrutiny, and I truly hope that it is a coincidnce.  I'm just looking to see if it happned to anyone else.  If not, its a coincidence, and I just got screwed.  

I plan on writing my representatives either way.  Keep the posts comming, though (Note:  I didn't mean to imply scrutiny based on rifle TYPE.  just firearms in general)

You probably have a name which is similar to the name of a known terrorist.  Not all terrorists are arab or muslim.  If that's the case, then they are checking to make sure that you are not the terrorist who is using that name.  I doubt you will get off the list.

Quoted: And you thought the government didn't save your Brady check information . . . well, now you know . . .

Bologna - That is not what is causing his problem. I too do a lot of business traveling and within the last year have bought 5 AR's (all lowers but the feds do not know the difference) and I'm not on any "do not fly list".

I'm not sure who's in charge of that list? (Homeland Security, FAA, FBI, ?) but I would find out who owns that list and contact them. Once you clear up what ever the problem is, I would get them to send you a confirmation letter stating that you should not be on the list.

If at any point during this process you seem to hit a wall, I would contact your companies legal dept. and have them look into it. If these are work related trips then this issue is potentially affecting your job so your companies legal dept. should take an interest (or at least flip the bill for a private attorney).

One last thought, there was a story today about a flight that got sent back to London because somebody on the flight was on the "Do not Fly" list. When asked how he got on the flight in the first place they stated that they have recently changed some of their procedures relating to the list.  I doubt it but that may have something to do with your issue?

Join the Corps, carry Military ID.

Problem solved.

Quoted: Join the Corps, carry Military ID. Problem solved.

Thats the worst thing you could do.  govt employees on official travel get shit on as much as possible in the hope that we will not complain, and its not like its "Our" money that paid for the tickets.

Quoted: You probably have a name which is similar to the name of a known terrorist.  Not all terrorists are arab or muslim.  If that's the case, then they are checking to make sure that you are not the terrorist who is using that name.  I doubt you will get off the list.

+1.

If you were really on the list as yourself, you wouldn't have gotten cleared when they typed in more detail.

Quoted: The ONLY thing thats changed in my life durring that window is... wait for it... I bought a firearm (an AR15, actually).  I'm a pretty practical guy, and I vote to the right.  I support the war on terror and this administration, so its not like I have some political "beef" with the feds.  Hell, I held a top secret clearance with the DOE at one time; I've never failed any kind of drug/background check.  I'm your average, suburban, patriotic white guy.

Reasons in red.  We are all supect.

Putting you on the no fly list is the gov'ts way of telling you that you fly too much.  You must stay home more so they will know exactly where you are.

Quoted: And you thought the government didn't save your Brady check information . . . well, now you know . . .   [Edited to add a for the sarcasm impaired!]

I did it. I wanted that exit-row aisle seat assignment.

Quoted: Join the Corps, carry Military ID. Problem solved.

That sure as hell will NOT solve your problem. Every time I went anywhere on a plane after 9-11 I got searched repeatedly. The worst was the first time. 11 seperate searches in 3 cities in 8 hours.

Quoted: my thoughts natually turned to how I got ON the list.  What changed between now and the last time I flew (6 weeks ago - more than normal)???

November 2004
No, seriously. You registered in November 2004. That was enough to get you on the Government Watch List.

Quoted: Maybe some bad guy somewhere used my name as an alias at some point (???).

I doubt it. Most bad guys go to great lengths to avoid attracting attention, and an alias like "thestumper" just screams LOOK AT ME!

Your name probably SOUNDEXES on the name or alias of an actual terrorist. If you are really concerned, contact the FBI; they just may explain the whole thing to you.

You would be suprised at how many run-of-the-mill bad guys have dozens of false identities that they use. Why would terrorists do any less? On a quite regular basis, I run into average citizens who have had enough elements of their identity accidentally or sometimes intentionally appropriated by bad guys that they carry extra IDs and letters from various PDs saying that they "are NOT the guy with warrants for drug smuggling out of California," or "I have a dirtbag brother/sister/cousin who gives the Police my name and DOB every time they are arrested."

Don't know what to tell you. I wouldn't know (or care) if my name is on the list or not.  

Quoted: [Edited to add a for the sarcasm impaired!]

Sarcasm impaired? Me? No, trust me, I could write a book on it but here on this site???? Well Let's just say there are enough tin foil hat wearing people around here that unless you ad a () to the end of a sentence like that I'm going to assume you are one of them and are serious!