Ft. Lauderdale shooting heightened security in Palm Springs airport

It was chaos at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport in Florida on Friday. Law enforcement said a shooter took his legally-transported firearm from his checked luggage and began shooting. The suspect killed five people before he was arrested.

“It’s almost a daily occurence so why would it shake me up? It sickens me,” Keith Chase said. “It disgusts me, but I’m not surprised.

Some passengers said they were surprised to find out it was legal to check in a firearm and ammunition in luggage.

“We don’t want to have to look over our shoulder to worry about things like that,” Karen Greenwood said.

Another passenger said those who decide to travel by plane with their firearm should be securely escorted.

“If you’re going to ship your gun and bullets and whatever, then you should be off the property by then,” Tim Greenwood said.

A local security consultant said as long as people have the proper permits and follow Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines, a firearm can be checked in with security. But he said there is a gap in security when it comes people getting off their flights.

“I’ve said this a number of times, even when you’re getting people off the plane and they still come out of the controlled area, people are still coming into the baggage area,” said Charles Bennett, security consultant with the Monee Group. “Anyone can walk in the baggage area and they can come in like he had with a gun.”

Bennett said because of the shooting, airport security will be heightened at airports across the country but will eventually lighten until it happens again.

If you or anyone you know finds themselves in an active shooter situation at an airport, Bennett said the safest thing to do is to lay flat on your stomach on the ground. By doing this, the person becomes a difficult target while being able to see what is going on around them.