Guns: Airports should tighten weapons security

The Clarion-Ledger, 1/29/8

The air-traveling public can thank Jackson Mayor Frank Melton for increased scrutiny of passengers claiming to be police officers attempting to carry guns aboard commercial flights.

If it weren’t for Melton’s odd gun-toting personality quirk, the potentially deadly issue might not have become public.

The Clarion-Ledger reported on the lapse in air safety in 2006 as part of an investigation into Melton’s armed flights.

The mayor and his security entourage had carried firearms aboard planes departing from Jackson and other cities by flashing badges and showing a letter from then-Police Chief Shirlene Anderson, without proper federally required training or credentials.