The debate about “gun free zones” is almost as large as, and certainly attached to, the debate on gun control. Most people consider airports reasonably safe and there are a ton of laws that supposedly prevent people from carrying guns inside any airport. That said, people transport guns via plane on a pretty regular basis. The guns are checked at the ticketing counter and picked up with the person’s regular luggage. What prevented anyone from unpacking their gun after picking it up and beginning to shoot randomly inside an airport?
As people at the Fort Lauderdale airport discovered on January 6, 2017, the answer is nothing. On that date Esteban Santiago-Ruiz traveled from Anchorage, Alaska to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with a stop at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport in Minnesota. Once his flight had landed in Fort Lauderdale and he retrieved the lockbox holding his gun and loaded magazines. He is reported to have loaded the weapon in a nearby bathroom and then began shooting in the baggage claim area.
Santiago-Ruiz shot eleven people, killing five and injuring six more. As a result of the panic caused by the shooting, it’s estimated that another 30-40 people were injured while fleeing or attempting to.
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The remainder of this article is part of the book "Active Killers and the Crimes They Perpetrated," available in print or ebook via Amazon.
