Officials say security screeners at a Bozeman-area airport failed to spot a gun in a passenger’s luggage last month, but the man turned himself in when he realized his error.

Transportation Security Administration spokesman Dwayne Baird said in a written statement Wednesday that the unidentified man became aware that he had the firearm in his carryon luggage as he was boarding Dec. 13 at Gallatin Field. The gun was confiscated and the passenger was allowed to continue on the flight.

The incident occurred nearly two weeks before the alleged Christmas Day attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner reawakened widespread concern over airline safety.

Still, Gallatin Field Board Chairman Dick Roehm says he’s disappointed at the lapse and the airport is looking into turning to a private company to handle security at the airport.

How people trust these guys is amazing.

We should extend this concept to, say, politicians whose feelings might be hurt by calling them ‘stupid’ or ‘greedy’ or any number of things with bad connotations with which one sees so many of them associated. Any ideas what we could use instead to eliminate the hurtful stigma of these words?

Decades ago, poor children became known as “disadvantaged” to soften the stigma of poverty. Then they were “at-risk.” Now, a Washington lawmaker wants to replace those euphemisms with a new one, “at hope.”

Democratic State Sen. Rosa Franklin says negative labels are hurting kids’ chances for success and she’s not a bit concerned that people will be confused by her proposed rewrite of the 54 places in state law where words like “at risk” and “disadvantaged” are used.

The bill has gotten a warm welcome among fellow lawmakers, state officials and advocacy groups.

“We really put too many negatives on our kids,” says Franklin, who is the state Senate’s president pro tem. “We need to come up with positive terms.”