Vegas Police: Jerry Lewis Cited for Gun in Carry-on Luggage
Jul 29, 2008, 5:59 pm
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Vegas Police: Jerry Lewis Cited for Gun in Carry-on Luggage
LAS VEGAS - Police say they have confiscated a gun belonging to Jerry Lewis that was found in the 82-year-old entertainer's carryon bag as he prepared to fly to Detroit from Las Vegas.
Lewis' manager, Claudia Marghilano, says the handgun is a hollowed-out prop gun that Lewis sometimes twirls during his show. She tells The Associated Press that the gun couldn't fire.
Marghilano says Lewis didn't know the gun was in the bag along with other props.
Cassell says if the gun were merely a prop "it wouldn't be a weapon and we couldn't cite him for carrying a weapon."
Marghilano says Lewis didn't know the gun was in the bag along with other props.
Cassell says if the gun were merely a prop "it wouldn't be a weapon and we couldn't cite him for carrying a weapon."
Jul 29, 2008, 6:20 pm
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but is a prop gun a weapon or a toy? (and according to the tsa, toy weapons are allowed in carry on luggage "if not realistic replicas".)
Jul 30, 2008, 1:01 am
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but is a prop gun a weapon or a toy? (and according to the tsa, toy weapons are allowed in carry on luggage "if not realistic replicas".)
So according to the TSA, toys are banned by the TSA if they are toys they consider "realistic replicas" of weapons. How do they define "realistic replicas"? If it's colored neon pink or neon green, is it then a non-"realistic replica"? Or is this based on some kind of visual "it looks real to me"/"it looks like a toy to me" "judgment" call that provides a window for TSA's consistent inconsistency approach to be applied?
This leaves me wondering if Jerry Lewis has flown with this thing in carry-on luggage before and done so without issue or not -- especially as consistent inconsistency and failure to properly detect are endemic issues with the TSA.
Jul 30, 2008, 5:15 am
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This made the end of the national news here, too (in addition to the Qantas story on officially blaming an exploding oxygen cylinder for MNL).
Jul 30, 2008, 10:57 am
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With the TSA, you get consistent inconsistency befitting of Kip Hawley of "Kip Hawley Is An Idiot" fame. While it may or may not be relevant to the Jerry Lewis incident, the item you raise is interesting: toys are allowed by the TSA unless they are not allowed by the TSA for looking like "realistic replicas" of "weapons".
So according to the TSA, toys are banned by the TSA if they are toys they consider "realistic replicas" of weapons. How do they define "realistic replicas"? If it's colored neon pink or neon green, is it then a non-"realistic replica"? Or is this based on some kind of visual "it looks real to me"/"it looks like a toy to me" "judgment" call that provides a window for TSA's consistent inconsistency approach to be applied?
This leaves me wondering if Jerry Lewis has flown with this thing in carry-on luggage before and done so without issue or not -- especially as consistent inconsistency and failure to properly detect are endemic issues with the TSA.
So according to the TSA, toys are banned by the TSA if they are toys they consider "realistic replicas" of weapons. How do they define "realistic replicas"? If it's colored neon pink or neon green, is it then a non-"realistic replica"? Or is this based on some kind of visual "it looks real to me"/"it looks like a toy to me" "judgment" call that provides a window for TSA's consistent inconsistency approach to be applied?
This leaves me wondering if Jerry Lewis has flown with this thing in carry-on luggage before and done so without issue or not -- especially as consistent inconsistency and failure to properly detect are endemic issues with the TSA.
Jul 30, 2008, 11:18 am
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In the absence of prior, public announcement from the government elaborating precisely upon what is prohibited, we're all subject to penalty without having a chance to know -- in advance and for certain -- whether or not something is prohibited.
Why be critical? Who needs transparent, precise, rules-based government, when a coin-flipped during "behind-closed-doors deliberation" can be just as or even more consistent than the TSA!
Jul 30, 2008, 11:55 am
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"Lewis, 82, had a small .22-caliber handgun when he arrived at the security screening area..."
"The weapon was registered to Lewis and he will need to attend a court hearing to get it back..."
FULL STORY
I've met Jerry before and respect him greatly, but he was carrying a real, registered .22 pistol through security. The fact that it lacked a firing mechanism is a moot point.
I'm sure he'll get off with a warning due to his celebrity and age, but he really should have known better.
"The weapon was registered to Lewis and he will need to attend a court hearing to get it back..."
FULL STORY
I've met Jerry before and respect him greatly, but he was carrying a real, registered .22 pistol through security. The fact that it lacked a firing mechanism is a moot point.
I'm sure he'll get off with a warning due to his celebrity and age, but he really should have known better.
Jul 31, 2008, 3:35 pm
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Sep 19, 2008, 9:27 pm
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Charges dismissed
LAS VEGAS - A Las Vegas judge has dismissed a firearms charge against entertainer Jerry Lewis. Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Karen Bennett-Haron dismissed the case Friday after attorneys agreed to let the 82-year-old comedian off without fines.
It's a given that he'll get the TSA civil fine notice in the mail, probably for thousands of dollars.