On Friday, November 1, a man armed with an assault rifle entered the Los Angeles International Airport. The man was later identified as twenty-three year old Paul Anthony Ciancia. He opened fire on TSA personnel. Ciancia then asked civilians if they were TSA members. Cianci injured six people in the process.
Upon police arrival, the man fled and was chased down to a nearby Burger King, where he was shot numerous times. He was then transported to the hospital. His condition has yet to be released. Police investigating the case found that he had sent text messages to family members announcing his plans. This marks the first incident in which TSA officers were killed in the airport’s twelve-year history.
Just two days later, on November 3, a note suggesting a bomb threat was found in the men’s bathroom at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. The threat was quickly reported and the airport quickly evacuated. Reported by Jay Blackman and Daniel Arkin, twelve airplanes were forced to ground while those coming in were redirected to local airports such as Huntsville International Airport, Nashville International Airport, and Montgomery Regional Airport.
After a two-hour investigation,officials found no bomb in the airport. Officials then posted a Facebook status stating that flights could resume.
These events have raised the question of whether more stringent security is necessary in our airports.
When asked about future changes in the face of these incidents, Bob Jones student Ashley Moore said, “If things happen, it happens. There is no point in changing something that’s going to happen.” Alexis Smith, a junior at Bob Jones, does not oppose the idea of increasing the security and points out that “it’s better to be safe and increase security than regret it later when there is a lack thereof.”
We can all agree that the incident at the Los Angeles International Airport was a tragedy. Measures need to be taken to keep such horrid events from occurring.
