LaGuardia Airport’s TSA X-ray reveals shocking illegal stash

A traveler at LaGuardia this month didn’t make their flight. Instead of a gate, they got a date with federal agents after an X-ray machine flagged something wrong in their carry-on. The TSA says it was an illegal stash. What exactly, we’ll leave to the official report. The useful part is that the system worked.

We’re used to hearing about the TSA in the same breath as long lines and pat-downs. But on that day, the baggage screener was the last line of defense. In New York, where the political class keeps finding ways to make life easier for people who break the law, it’s refreshing to see a federal agency do its job. The law still applies at the airport, even if it’s optional elsewhere in the city.

This isn’t about one dumb traveler. It’s about the mindset that treats a caught criminal as a victim and the actual victim as an inconvenience. We have politicians who talk about decriminalizing more offenses and judges who release repeat offenders before the paperwork dries. Then a TSA agent points at a screen and says no. You don’t need a new law to catch bad guys. You need someone willing to enforce the ones on the books. That’s what happened at LaGuardia. It shouldn’t be remarkable. It should be the norm.