You can't make this sh*t up, it was an f-ing revolver!!!...
http://www.kygunco.com/prodimages/25553-DEFAULT-S.jpg
A Republic Airlines flight attendant was detained and then charged with disorderly conduct after she attempted to pass through security at the Philadelphia International Airport with a loaded .38 revolver in her purse, triggering an incident in which police accidentally discharged the weapon while securing it, authorities said.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headline...port-security/

A flight attendant with a permit to carry a handgun forgot to leave her weapon at home Sunday morning, leading to the accidental discharge of the gun by a police officer at Philadelphia International Airport.
The flight attendant, who is an employee of Republic Airlines, which operates US Airways Express flights out of Philadelphia, put her handbag on the X-ray machine conveyor belt as she went through the routine security check about 6:30 a.m. at Terminal C, said Jim Fotenos, spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.
TSA officers noticed the gun and alerted Philadelphia police officers, who responded quickly, police spokesman Lt. Ray Evers said.
A female police officer, whom the department declined to name, tried to make the weapon safe by removing the bullets but instead accidentally fired it, Evers said. The bullet that was discharged hit the ground and did not injure anyone.
Because the flight attendant, who also was not named, has a valid gun permit, she received only a summary citation for passing the gun through a security checkpoint and was released, Evers said. The flight attendant, however, was replaced by another flight attendant on the Dallas-bound flight, a US Airways spokeswoman said.
The discharge is being investigated by Philadelphia police internal affairs department, Evers said.
"She will go back to training for handling weapons," Evers said of the patrol officer who accidentally discharged the gun. "She will be off the streets for a period of time."
The protocol for such a situation, Evers said, is for a regular patrol officer to respond and if the officer is not sure how to handle the weapon, a police supervisor should be called.
No flights were delayed as a result of the gun discharge, airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said.
"Operationally we were business as normal," Lupica said.

WOW Just f*cking WOW!

Love it

What I can't figure out is in what way does 'tried to make the weapon safe' involve pulling the trigger? (Or perhaps a hammer partial pull and release)

well DUH thats why they sent her back to school, so she can learn what the trigger does!

My guess is the partial hammer pull. The revolvers I've used I had to half cock them to release the cylinder to load/unload. The agent probably tried the same thing and messed it up.

Figured this would be the best place for this question, vice a new thread:

I'm looking to buy a handgun (semi-auto, probably a Beretta 9mm since that's what I'm familiar with). I've had plenty of weapons training but I've never bought or owned my own. There's an Academy Sports a couple blocks from my house that I've checked out a little. Would any of you recommend buying from a large chain store like Academy, or a smaller (and firearm specific) mom-&-pop store?

Its up to you. I buy online to avoid tax and tye pruces are usually low enough that it keeps me from having to haggle with someone.

Chain stores price is what it is. Mom and pops can haggle or maybe have an extra magazine/ammo thrown in with the price or whatever. When it comes to guns I actually like wasting a day on searching the whole town instead of just going to one place.

I'd say it depends on what you want the pistol to do. Is it a home defense pistol? A carry pistol? A range plinker?

Answering that question first can greatly help narrow down your choices.

As an aside, I prefer the smaller mom and pop type of stores as opposed to the chains. You generally will get great service along with a nice price.

My preference would be the the Mom and Pop knowing that I am likely to have to pay a bit more , but in the event of a problem I am far more likely to be speaking with someone at least passingly familiar with the weapon. Chain store employees at least here in the Northeast tend to also work the shoe counter, and and the golf section.