# Ex-Mississippi Gov. and RNC chairman Haley Barbour arrested with gun at airport **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 31, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856 "2018-01-31T02:58:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/1 "2018-01-31T02:58:58Z")
[AP story here](https://apnews.com/c8d585cf3510404c918aedf27a1b5037/Ex-Mississippi-Gov.-Barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport). > [@](#): > > Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said he will pay a fine after being arrested with a loaded handgun in his briefcase as he went through an airport security checkpoint in early January. > > Barbour — Republican National Committee chairman in the mid-1990s and governor from 2004-12 — told The Associated Press on Tuesday he was trying to board a flight Jan. 2 from Jackson to Washington, D.C. He said he forgot he was carrying the gun, which he had put in his briefcase after an assistant removed it from his car days earlier. > > “This was absentmindedness and nobody’s fault but mine,” said Barbour, 70, who lives in Mississippi and frequently travels to the nation’s capital for his job as a lobbyist. To his credit, he does seem to be owning this right from the start. > [@](#): > > The TSA would not release the passenger’s name, but Farbstein confirmed it was a former governor, and Barbour confirmed to AP that he was that passenger. > > Barbour said he did not dispute Farbstein’s use of the word “arrest,” though he said he was not handcuffed and no mug shot photo was taken. Barbour described the TSA officers and the airport police as “very nice but very professional.” > > “They did exactly what they should have done, which was treat me like anybody else,” Barbour said. I gotta wonder if this is standard practice, tho: > [@](#): > > Barbour said the gun was confiscated and he then boarded his flight to Washington. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/2 "2018-01-31T03:13:22Z")
“…treat me like everyone else…” Yeh, right. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/3 "2018-01-31T03:28:06Z")
In my experience, yes, confiscation of contraband is standard practice. I’ve never had a gun taken, but a couple pocket knives and some other items were taken for forever by TSA. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/4 "2018-01-31T03:34:25Z")
Really, he sounds like a pretty classy guy, admitting fault and praising the people doing their jobs. I had a great mental image of him meeting with someone he’s lobbying, opening his briefcase with the gun in it, and the person being lobbied is saying, oh hey Haley, I’ll vote for whatever you want, no need to get carried away. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/5 "2018-01-31T04:05:52Z")
I disagree that he should be treated like “everyone else.” We had a similar situation where former U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller was selected at random for additional security at the airport and went through the full treatment. Rockefeller made a similar statement that he should be treated no differently than a regular citizen. The goal isn’t equality; it is to detect and stop terrorists. Haley Barbour and Jay Rockefeller are not on that list. Waive them through. Every second spent playing around with them is a second that a TSA agent is not looking for a potential terrorist and is simply a feel good measure. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/6 "2018-01-31T05:43:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Barbour — Republican National Committee chairman in the mid-1990s and governor from 2004-12 — told The Associated Press on Tuesday he was trying to board a flight Jan. 2 from Jackson to Washington, D.C. **He said he forgot he was carrying the gun** , which he had put in his briefcase after an assistant removed it from his car days earlier. > > “This was absentmindedness and nobody’s fault but mine,” said Barbour\*" I don’t care who it is, this shit pisses me off. I own a gun dealership so I naturally also have dozens of firearms in my personal collection. I not only know where all the guns at the shop are at all times I also always know where all my personal weapons are at all times even when I’m not carrying them. Carrying a gun does become second nature but whether it’s in a briefcase or on a hip holster the carrier should still be aware of it. “I didn’t know I was carrying a gun” warrants having your head cracked open to see if you have a brain or your tongue ripped out because you are lying. :o Sorry. But that shit really pisses me off. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/7 "2018-01-31T05:50:04Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I don’t care who it is, this shit pisses me off. I own a gun dealership so I naturally also have dozens of firearms in my personal collection. I not only know where all the guns at the shop are at all times I also always know where all my personal weapons are at all times even when I’m not carrying them. > > Carrying a gun does become second nature but whether it’s in a briefcase or on a hip holster the carrier should still be aware of it. “I didn’t know I was carrying a gun” warrants having your head cracked open to see if you have a brain or your tongue ripped out because you are lying. > > :o Sorry. But that shit really pisses me off. I agree with this. Maybe at 70 it’s time for him to check both driving and gun licenses at the door. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/8 "2018-01-31T06:15:02Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I don’t care who it is, this shit pisses me off. I own a gun dealership so I naturally also have dozens of firearms in my personal collection. I not only know where all the guns at the shop are at all times I also always know where all my personal weapons are at all times even when I’m not carrying them. > > Carrying a gun does become second nature but whether it’s in a briefcase or on a hip holster the carrier should still be aware of it. “I didn’t know I was carrying a gun” warrants having your head cracked open to see if you have a brain or your tongue ripped out because you are lying. > > :o Sorry. But that shit really pisses me off. I admire your commitment to being a responsible gun owner. I feel the same way about drinks on my dimmer racks/power distros. NO DRINKS ON RACKS! Oh yeah, and NO FOOD ON STAGE! ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/9 "2018-01-31T11:09:53Z")
Who believes if this had been a random black man he’d have been treated as politely and professionally by TSA? “Same as anybody else.” Seriously? Does this old fart actually believe that? And I agree, forgot you had a loaded weapon with you? No more guns or ammo for you, you’re done, as of NOW ! ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/10 "2018-01-31T11:18:42Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > And I agree, forgot you had a loaded weapon with you? No more guns or ammo for you, you’re done, as of NOW ! I didn’t say that and I wouldn’t go that far, especially in this case where nobody was injured. But a couple of hard swift kicks in his nether regions would do him good. Maybe one in the head. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/11 "2018-01-31T11:43:32Z")
Yet we don’t have ‘The Boot’ as a punishment in this country. But that’s the crux of the biscuit, isn’t it? It’s difficult to come up with effective sanctions for people who are irresponsible with their gun ownership. How do we punish someone for being an idiot - which not remembering you had a loaded gun when boarding a plane sure counts as - when no one has been harmed? The issue is so polarized - IMO largely by self-interested industry lobbyists - that even discussing such sanctions is a non-starter. It’s a conundrum. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/12 "2018-01-31T12:08:02Z")
Why is ‘No one was _actually_ hurt, in this instance!’, a get out of jail free card? For a long time, drunk drivers used this excuse to avoid prosecution, but it proved to encourage other potential drunk drivers, and is now no longer a consideration in whether someone is charged or convicted. As it should be, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/13 "2018-01-31T12:51:42Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Why is ‘No one was _actually_ hurt, in this instance!’, a get out of jail free card? Nobody said “get out of jail free card”. But going so far as to take away his right to own one in this specific instance is a step too far. What he did wasn’t a felony AFAIK. I think having to have his head examined would be embarrassing enough to prevent him from doing it again. Making sure he banged his head on the MRI machine a few times! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/14 "2018-01-31T14:18:59Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > I disagree that he should be treated like “everyone else.” We had a similar situation where former U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller was selected at random for additional security at the airport and went through the full treatment. Rockefeller made a similar statement that he should be treated no differently than a regular citizen. > > The goal isn’t equality; it is to detect and stop terrorists. Haley Barbour and Jay Rockefeller are not on that list. Waive them through. Every second spent playing around with them is a second that a TSA agent is not looking for a potential terrorist and is simply a feel good measure. How does one determine who is on “the list?” I’m not accusing you of anything, but it seems like you’re saying that, since Barbour is a white American, he couldn’t be a terrorist. Many of the recent acts of terror have been committed by people who are white and/or American. ETA: you may have been suggesting that it’s because they’re politicians or older. If so, then I misunderstood you at first read, and apologize. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/15 "2018-01-31T14:23:25Z")
I have no idea whether Barbour is a terrorist. But it’s irrelevant. The goal is to stop people who are trying to board a plane carrying a gun. Barbour was, in actual fact, a person who was trying to board a plane carrying a gun. The system worked. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/16 "2018-01-31T14:27:49Z")
It’s laughably transparent that if this was a brown guy named Mohammed, not only would this have gone down very differently, but there is NO way y’all would be this forgiving! Can you imagine that guy trying to convince the TSA, he just _forgot_ he had a loaded gun in his luggage, innocent mistake ! ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/17 "2018-01-31T14:56:09Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > I disagree that he should be treated like “everyone else.” We had a similar situation where former U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller was selected at random for additional security at the airport and went through the full treatment. Rockefeller made a similar statement that he should be treated no differently than a regular citizen. > > The goal isn’t equality; it is to detect and stop terrorists. Haley Barbour and Jay Rockefeller are not on that list. Waive them through. Every second spent playing around with them is a second that a TSA agent is not looking for a potential terrorist and is simply a feel good measure. You may have a point about Jay Rockefeller, but Barbour had a loaded gun in his carryon. Every second spent removing loaded guns from carryon luggage is a second well spent by the TSA. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/18 "2018-01-31T15:23:54Z")
Loaded guns are an all-too-common occurrence at SLC Airport, and my impression is that it’s quite rare that charges are actually pursued over them. I don’t think the former Governor got any special break here. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/19 "2018-01-31T15:30:50Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Nobody said “get out of jail free card”. But going so far as to take away his right to own one in this specific instance is a step too far. What he did wasn’t a felony AFAIK. I think having to have his head examined would be embarrassing enough to prevent him from doing it again. Making sure he banged his head on the MRI machine a few times! 😃 My kid sister had a seizure a number of years ago where she blacked out without warning. She had to give up her license for 6 months to make sure she didn’t endanger other people on the road if she had a recurrence. (No recurrence, and it’s been over a decade now, if you’re wondering.) Something like this, maybe, for cases like this: the person loses the right to carry outside the home for 3-6 months, perhaps? After that, hopefully, the person would be a lot less likely to forget whether he was carrying. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856/20 "2018-01-31T15:46:37Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I don’t care who it is, this shit pisses me off. I own a gun dealership so I naturally also have dozens of firearms in my personal collection. I not only know where all the guns at the shop are at all times I also always know where all my personal weapons are at all times even when I’m not carrying them. > > Carrying a gun does become second nature but whether it’s in a briefcase or on a hip holster the carrier should still be aware of it. “I didn’t know I was carrying a gun” warrants having your head cracked open to see if you have a brain or your tongue ripped out because you are lying. > > :o Sorry. But that shit really pisses me off. It’s like the old Steve Martin joke about “I forgot armed robbery was illegal.” How the hell do you “forget” that you have a gun in your briefcase? And yeah, I’m sure if he wasn’t white (and Republican) it would have gone down a heck of a lot differently than “confiscate the gun, let him board the plane anyway.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-mississippi-gov-and-rnc-chairman-haley-barbour-arrested-with-gun-at-airport/807856.md?page=2)