A 51-year-old U.S. air traveler was arrested at Juan Santamaria Internation Airport in San Jose trying to smuggle two AR-15 semi-automatic rifles aboard a Jet Blue flight to the United States.
The disassembled rifles were hidden in his luggage destined for the baggage compartment of the jetliner. But a sharp-eyed Jet Blue employee discovered the attempt at check-in and alerted airport authorities.
Chief of Airport Police Glen Pacheco told the newspaper La Nacion that the passenger told him that he did not know that he had to report firearms to authorities before they were put aboard commercial aircraft.
He was charged with illegal possession of firearms. He was traveling with a Costa Rican who also missed his flight to the U.S.
U.S. regulations make sales of automatic weapons illegal so the AR-15 is offered in semi-automatic form. However, the rule is laughable — parts are sold to turn them into fully automatic weapons and can be installed by even the most ham-fisted gunsmith.
From iNews.co.cr