Example of a Ruger .380 (Yahoo! News)
At less than six inches and just under 10 ounces, the Ruger .380 is considered by gun owners to be a great little pocket pistol.
So small, in fact, that you can sometimes get one onto an airplane.
D'oh!
Yep, the New York Daily News reports that a woman flew 938 miles from Orlando, Fla., to Newark, N.J., on Thursday with a loaded .380 in her purse. United flight 15 was airborne before she realized what she'd done—and airport screeners had missed. How the Daily News said it unfolded:
She didn't tell anyone on the plane about the weapon during the flight, which left Florida at 8:19 a.m.
But when she landed at Newark Airport at 10:24, she immediately told a Port Authority police officer.
The newspaper identified the woman as a 37-year-old Orlando firefighter. New Jersey officials called Florida authorities, but the Daily News says the Essex County prosecutor declined to prosecute the woman because she self-reported the incident.
"She was visibly upset. She said she had a license to carry it and just forgot it," said Al Della Fave, Port Authority police spokesman. "The [Port Authority] officer took possession of the handgun and made it safe."
The Transportation Security Administration, meanwhile, had no immediate answers.
"TSA is aware of this situation and is reviewing the circumstances," said Lisa Farbstein, a spokeswoman for the agency told the Daily News.
Earlier this month, a poll found that nearly 46 percent of frequent fliers said they felt screening procedures were not effective in preventing acts of terrorism on an aircraft. But a separate poll reported that 54 percent of Americans (fliers and non-fliers) think the TSA is doing an excellent or good job of handling security screenings at airports.
So take your pick. Just remember to leave your pistol at home.
Watch more news about the TSA: