Screeners don't get paid enough. Screeners must check 2 million passengers and their baggage each day in this country, looking for weapons, explosives or other objects that could pose a threat to aircraft and passengers. Given their responsibility, training level and compensation level, it's surprising they do as well as they do. In this country, individual airlines are responsible for the screening. Most hire security companies to do it.
Screeners use metal detectors and X-ray machines and physically search bags.
Because the equipment doesn't work automatically, its effectiveness depends on the screeners' use of it. It's a difficult job, both stressful and monotonous. Doing it well requires training and paying close attention. In the last five years, screeners have detected more than 10,000 firearms. Yet Federal Aviation Administration tests show they often miss them.