U.S. governors urge Turks and Caicos to release Americans as Florida woman becomes 5th tourist arrested for ammo in luggage

It's a shit job with shit pay to deal with assholes all day and you don't even know if you'll get that shit pay if congress can't come up with a deal every few months. I don't blame them.

It's okay - just as long as it's not a slightly larger pack of toothpaste, or god forbid some water. Luckily those get caught, so we're still safe.

Guns of course not, ammo kinda yeah? It can kinda get everywhere when you go out shooting. If you don't have strictly segregated bags for international travel vs a bag for going to the range or taking hunting then it's pretty easy to find old loose ammo in your bag or stuck in your coat when you don't expect it. I do have a range backpack that also gets used for other hobbies but never travels with me just in case but like, I get it. I've more than once had an empty cartridge fall out of a jacket multiple days after last shooting.

Whoa there, I do believe that's heresy in the United States. Punishment is a range day with someone entirely too enthusiastic about esoteric gun details like barrel twist.

It's literally a victimless crime committed unintentionally. Most people oppose 12-year prison sentences for harmless accidents.

I want to know why. Are they going to gun stores while traveling and saying, "holy shit! Hornady Critical Defense 9mm for $20 a box‽ I can't pass this deal up!" That's the only thing I can think of.

1. Take backpack to the range.
2. Finish, toss a few leftovers unspent rounds in bag.
3. Nine months later go to Turks and Caicos (Bring backpack for hiking).

This typically isn't people putting it in luggage (like suitcases) but backpacks or other non-dedicated range bags.

You definitely might use the same backpack or tote to go out to the range as to go on a weekend trip. Drive to a hunting holiday with friends, then use the same bags for a trip to Disney with the kids. If you're going somewhere, you use the bags you have.

I assume hunting trips.

If you’re driving to a multi-day camping/shooting event with friends you’ll pack your suitcase. Sounds very plausible to me.

It’s simple. I don’t need different bags for specific purposes. That’s wasteful. I just use the same bags for range time and travel. Obviously I couldn’t tell you how a whole ass gun gets left in there, but I could see a few accidental rounds or casings.

I got stopped going into Canada and their dog got a hit on my bag in the back of my truck. They accused my wife and I for over an hour of trying to bring weapons into Canada. Told them the dog has a good sniffer and that I frequently use that bag at the range, but that I was in fact just traveling to visit national parks and that if I was bringing in guns to their country it wouldn’t be through a major point of entry and would be in the thousands of miles of semi-unmonitored border.

But then you get that awkward situation where you go on vacation, open your luggage to get a fresh pair of socks or whatever, and find that you brought nothing but guns and ammo along with you on your trip.

Yeah this is psychotic my ammo bag is never used for anything else except ammo. It would never occur to me to take it on vacation. Why would I even want to? I don't even believe these people.

Or even better, don't own either! Boom, problem solved!

There was no weapon.

Totally agree. Not being able to account for all your ammunition shows to me a lack of the basic necessary discipline and maturity to handle a weapon.

Ammo can go off without a gun, yes, but is significantly less dangerous. The casing just sort of takes off and you have deal with much lower velocity soft casing rather than a bullet. Still can end up with some wounds but the deadliness is practically nullified.

Oh you sweet summer child. When I was in college, my lacrosse team was traveling for an away game. My teammate forgot he had shotgun shells in his bag. First of all, they didn't find it until the way BACK. Second, he received no legal punishment.

There is zero evidence that any of these people arrested were intentionally bringing ammo into their country. The woman in the article was actually caught with 2 rounds in her bag when she was leaving the country.

She accidentally had two rounds of loose ammo by the sound of it. She didn't transfer a weapon.

12 years for accidentally bringing 4 rounds into a foreign country for a husband and father of two? Regardless of what you think of this guy, that is extreme.

12 years is pretty ridiculous. OTOH, you are unknowingly traveling with live ammo. I'm less bothered by the ammo part than the unknowing part, but in combination - yeah that needs to be more than a slap on the wrist.

You have just demonstrated your inability to keep track of the important bits related to your deadly weapon. Maybe you don't need to own a deadly weapon if that's an indicator of how you treat it.

So I'm all for "restorative justice" but I do think this should get more than a stern talking to.

Everyone is for restorative justice until it’s someone or something they don’t like.

Only the left is for restorative justice. The right is for maximum punishment, and no mercy. Especially if you don't look like they do.

OTOH the right seems pretty into personal responsibility - until it's someone or something they do like.

Do you have anything that actually indicates any of these people who have been arrested there demanded that this exact thing happen to everyone else globally? Outside of that, it just reeks of dealing with the cognitive dissonance of thinking you care about justice, but having a vengeful attitude towards Americans, probably because you have a low opinion of America's politics.

Cool, let me know how their tourism industry turns out after they finish.

I’m sure getting all of this press is worth it if they scare away the people of the richest nation in the western hemisphere that is closest geographically to their tiny islands.

I’m sure they can replace American tourists.

If people could read simple pieces of information, things like this would not be an issue.

Four of the detained Americans have admitted they brought the ammunition — but by mistake. 

It appears this isn't the case.