A retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel traveling preparing to return from a visit in Grand Cayman was caught with a loaded magazine in his carry-on backpack as he passed through security at Owens Roberts International Airport on March 2. When discovered, the Cayman Compass reports Terry Torraca of Tennessee was questioned by police and apologized for the oversight, explaining he had placed it in the backpack while traveling in the states and didn’t realize it was still in there. He acknowledged that he “forgot to check the carry-on before traveling to Cayman.
The former officer was charged with two counts of possession of an unlicensed firearm, to which he pled guilty. But instead of past years when such a situation occurred, most violators paid a fine “with either a conditional or absolute discharge, meaning no conviction is recorded against them.” Under the previous magistrate, the newspaper reports, fines rarely exceeded $2,500 against tourists.
But Angelyn Hernandez is the chief magistrate now and she has been quite vocal about people coming to her island with firearms telling tourists it is their responsibility to know the laws and make sure they are not breaking them.
In Torraca’s case, she slapped the retired lieutenant colonel with a brutal $22,500 fine.
“Torraca’s substantially larger fine represents a drastic increase and shows the court’s displeasure against persons’ who through ignorance run afoul of Cayman’s laws,” the Cayman Compass reported.
While seemingly unfair, especially for what appears to be an honest mistake, “Section 15(5) of Firearms Act 2008 Revision sets out a fine of up to $100,000 and or 20 years in prison for a person who is convicted of possession of an unlicensed firearm. The law does not distinguish between a gun or bullets,” the article notes.
Whether traveling abroad or domestically, guns, ammunition and virtually all gun parts are not permitted in carry-on luggage and is something most airports and security personnel take super seriously, even when it is an obvious “oops.” To be safe, never fly with a backpack or other luggage you use for toting firearms or ammo to the range, when hunting or simply when traveling. Have a dedicated back just for carry-on purposes that you never use for anything firearms related.
With today’s plentiful pockets and compartments on backpacks and even in small suitcases, it’s easy to miss a knife, magazine, round of ammo or small box of ammo. It’s easier to simply avoid putting yourself in a situation by having a dedicated bag for air travel.
Perhaps of more concern, and not noted in the Cayman Compass story, was the fact that the mag, apparently did slip through a TSA checkpoint in the states when Torraca flew to Cayman. That’s an entirely different matter of concern…TSA!
Never ever travel with a bag used for shooting purposes. Many years ago my former boss used a duffel bag as a carry on and it tested positive for explosive residue. He kept it in his reloading room and stored cans of smokeless powder in it. After about an hour of interrogation and the fact he had a FFL and SOT in his name he was allowed through but not without missing his flight. On a personal note, years ago I was leaving Las Vegas after the SHOT show and was flagged for something in my carry on bag. After going to the TSA office the agent in charge pulled out a single dummy round key chain. It was a 450 bushmaster that Hornady was giving out at their booth for promoting their new caliber. I told him it wasn’t live or real and he said it didn’t matter. He then proceeded to open his desk drawer and put it with the 50 or so other ones he had already confiscated and I was on my way. Needless to say my wife wasn’t very happy.
This: never mix luggage and range bags.
I realize it is tempting, especially when good bags aren’t cheap, and if you don’t travel much. (If you do travel a lot, being able to leave a bag “pre-prepped” for travel can be very convenient.)
Never take anything resembling a firearms part or ammunition component through screening. The TSA is incapable of parsing out what constitutes a threat and what does not.
“The TSA is incapable of parsing out what constitutes a threat and what does not.”
True, dat. I was derailed in San Diego, years ago. My electric razor cord triggered a TSA agent monitoring the baggage x-ray. The agent shouted, “I see wires, I see wires.” On further inspection, after opening the baggage, the supervisor asked me if my two 12oz “starbucks” coffee thermo bottles were dummy 40mm rounds. I opened both to show they were empty coffee bottles. The supervisor told me I should keep those out of carry-on baggage, and allowed me to continue on my way.
“The TSA is incapable of parsing out what constitutes a threat and what does not.”
Definitely. One time somewhere around 2015 when my bag was going through the x-ray, the agent stopped on my bag and called the supervisor over to look at something suspicious in my bag. The supervisor told him “that’s a cell phone”. It was a basic shape smartphone, one that looks identical to what 90% of people have. The idiot couldn’t even identify an item that almost every single person going through security has and is having to send through the machine.
WOW, what a PIA. Goes to show one needs to be extremely careful in making sure they have NOTHING firearm related on themselves or with themselves when traveling outside the USA. I could see where a single empty cartridge could get one in trouble somewhere. Knives of any sort could be a problem too.
A buddy of mine has been on the watch lists of two countries for, I dunno, 15-20 years?, because of a single 30-30 cartridge that a security guy on a Caribbean island found in the bottom of a small pocket on his duffel bag.
Some day I’ll share the story about how he was stopped at a checkpoint, because he resembled an armed robbery suspect who was driving a similar truck.
Have your chit together. Kinda simple…
This former military officer should know a lot better. It a black and white world. When it comes to all government rules.
I’m sure in his career he has held many folks accountable who broke the rules.
TSA didn’t catch the gun on his way there? Only on his way back was it caught by the local cops? Security theater at its finest.
It was just a magazine as far as I could tell
Traveled commercial air back to the ‘lower 48’ after retiring. For convenience just used my ‘detachment bag’ (probably enough jet fuel residue etc. on the bag) TSA had the bag emptied and turned inside out and still setting off the sensors. On top of this, show a retired military I.D. and everyone in the family gets pulled aside for the special hand groping. I’m sure a little powder residue will garner the same treatment.
Good to know. I usually have to pay extra for the special hand groping.
Well if the groping was done by a female with big uns who also gave me her phone number, it might be worth the price and a missed flight.
Flying back to Portland from Frankfort Germany 7 years after 9-11 everyone on the flight got double-passport checked and frisked by German security at the gate. The guy was 6’4″ at least and tho very professional he frisked me from my shoetops to my hair (back when I had more of it). The female officer was about 4″ shorter and even more scary looking!
Meh, a hand is a hand when you close your eyes.
You’ll usually get special attention for a one-way flight. That’s how it’s been for me. Oddly enough, one of them told me it wasn’t because of my one-way flight. Okay. I never asked why, or commented about it, btw.
“…show a retired military I.D. and everyone in the family gets pulled aside for the special hand groping. ”
Don’t the feds consider all military veterans as potential tare-orists?
They would panic big time if they found a kid’s toy gun.
Ridiculous when adults don’t know a toy from the real thing.
Slapshot’s experience with the dummy round is absurd.
However, until some grow up, the rules are what they are
which is foolishness in many ways.
These TSA sorts don’t care and have thrown common sense out the window.
That’s why TSA means “Taking Sense Away”.
I wonder if he had to pay the fine while “detained” in Grand Cayman or whether they let him fly back to the United States in order to obtain the required cash.
If it were me and they graciously allowed me to fly back to the U.S. in order to acquire the cash, I am 99.99% confident that I would refuse to pay that fine and dare them to attempt to extradite me for failing to pay a fine. Of course, given our current U.S. Administration, they would probably be all-too-happy to send me back to Grand Cayman and honor their extradition request.
He probably had to at least post a bond. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to collect it.
I got a reckless driving charge out of state because I was going 20 over the speed limit (age 19). The trooper brought me to the local office to put me in jail unless I either paid their fines in cash, or got a bondsman. They said they only did this for people that weren’t state residents because people wouldn’t pay the fines, and they had no power to revoke my driving license.
The trooper was cool. He didn’t cuff me or anything for the trip back. My dad was a passenger, so he drove my car. I gave my dad my ATM card with instructions to find an ATM (it was on a Saturday). He said that seemed too complicated, so he went across the street to get a bondsman.
One of the cops there was trying to mess with me. He brought my prisoner clothing to change into before they threw me in jail. Another cop there told me not to pay attention to him because he knew my dad would be back soon. The trooper that brought me in made a point to tell them that I was cooperative.
Better yet, don’t travel to s***hole countries.
There is that.
All else aside, I do not expect this to be good for their tourist trade.
Yessir. Spend your tourist dollars in the US. I never saw anything out there that wasn’t better here.
jwm,
“I never saw anything [in another country] that wasn’t better here.”
I am going to have to disagree on that point. There are some things in other countries that you just cannot see/do in the U.S.
Having said that, those other spectacular things in other countries are not soooooo spectacular that their benefits outweigh the risks compared to the best that the United States has to offer.
Stay in America bro!
#37 states
If I want that kind of treatment I could drive to NY in about 4 hours…….
“but No Guns Mon…”
I’m pretty sure they don’t use a Jamaican accent in Grand Cayman…
Just sayin’!
I’m pretty sure they have editors there also. This article is atrocious.
Would never go to a 3rd World SH like this. We are just walking moneybags to these moneygrubbers. No more tourism dollars from me.
While Grand Cayman may be total assholes about guns. They are hardly a Third World country.
It Is a center for banking and finance, and at one time was a great place to hide your ill gotten gains. It is a very wealthy island.
Don’t bring any loaded ammunition, magazine, and a tourist will have a great time in Grand Canyon.
Nope. Not bringing anything. Island trash can stay in their island without me or my patronage.
He probably checked the bag down there and then carried it on coming back.
Comments are closed.