from
MSNBC:
United agent accidentally shot at New Orleans airport
By Rebecca Ruiz, Senior editor, msnbc.comA United Airlines employee was shot in the leg at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International airport this morning when a passenger's rifle accidentally discharged.
The agent, who is not being named by the airline, was checking the passenger in when the rifle discharged. The flier, who had declared the gun, is reported to be 65-year-old Edward Deubler, according to the Times-Picayune.
Mary Ryan, a spokesperson for United, said that the employee sustained non-life threatening injuries and is reported to be in stable condition.
The airline's policy for checking firearms follow federal regulations, which require that guns in checked baggage or separate shipping cases be unloaded and declared.
Ryan did not know whether the rifle was in a bag or case when it was handled by the United agent.
So, here is a question for our blog readers: should there be some mechanism for taking guns away from people to old or senile to handle them safely? It's hard enough to get car keys away from the elderly who are no longer safe to drive. I can only imagine that taking away the guns of those suffering from senile dementia might be even more hazardous and difficult. Should there be some sort of mandatory age check, like a driver's license renewal, after a certain age?
