On a recent international Delta Air Lines flight, a passenger discovered a loaded handgun left in an airplane lavatory. The traveler handed the firearm to a crew member, who then returned it to its owner—an on-duty federal air marshal.
According to reports, the air marshal, who was new to the role, accidentally left the loaded weapon in the restroom during a flight from Manchester, England (MAN) to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport last month.
Despite the oversight, the agent remains on duty while the matter is handled.
John Casaretti, president of the Air Marshal Association and a former air marshal, told CNN that new air marshals do not receive on-the-job training. He argued that rare mistakes like this should be fully investigated and that local supervisors should apply appropriate corrective measures.
“A field training officer program and thorough mentorship of new officers can reduce similar performance issues,” Casaretti said. He also noted that air marshals operate under difficult conditions and criticized management and policy decisions that he believes have hampered their effectiveness, saying the issue lies with the TSA’s oversight rather than with the marshals themselves.