Current TSA standards allow airport passengers to use their Costco membership cards at security checkpoints. Yet, concealed handgun licenses are “not acceptable forms of identification.” Congressmen Diane Black (R-TN) and Bill Flores (R-TX) have introduced a bill, the Nondiscriminatory Transportation Screening Act, demanding the agency recognize gun licenses as a legitimate form of ID.
While alerting the public to the new legislation, Black called out TSA’s double standards.
“It is mind-boggling that the TSA has reportedly accepted Costco membership cards at airport screenings, yet its website expressly prohibits the use of handgun carry permits," she said. "Why the double standard? Handgun licenses are a government-issued form of identification and no one has given me a valid reason why they cannot be accepted at TSA checkpoints. Americans who exercise their Second Amendment freedoms have bared the brunt of much hostility from this Administration over the last seven years.”
Black is not exaggerating when she says the Obama White House has been unkind to gun owners. Throughout his tenure in office, Obama has introduced several unpopular gun control initiatives, including the expansion of background checks. Just this past week, Katie highlighted the president’s plans to make gun control a key issue next year.
It’s no wonder American gun owners walk around nowadays feeling like criminals. The least the government can do is make their trips to the airport a little more convenient.
Additionally, the legislation would prevent the TSA from “collecting or storing information” about individuals with handgun licenses.