A Pennsylvania, man was cited by police after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Philadelphia International Airport intercepted a handgun at one of the security checkpoints on Sunday, October 27.
The 9mm handgun was loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber, and was the 36th gun stopped by agents at Philadelphia International Airport this year.
The firearm was intercepted when the checkpoint X-ray unit alerted a TSA officer of the gun inside the carry-on bag of a traveler from Christiana, a tiny borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Police responded to the checkpoint and confiscated the firearm from the man and cited him on a weapons charge.
A 9mm handgun intercepted a handgun at one of the Philadelphia International Airport security checkpoints on Thursday, October 24, was not loaded, however, it was packed with five accessible bullets in an adjacent gun magazine. Police responded and confiscated that firearm from a resident of Yardley, Pennsylvania.
“It is disappointing to continue to see travelers bring their firearms to our checkpoints,” said Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport.
“Loaded guns represent a threat because the intention of the traveler is unknown. If you own a firearm, do not bring it to a checkpoint,” said Spero. “If you must travel with your gun, the proper way to do it is to make sure it’s unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case, and taken to the airline check-in counter. The airline will ensure it is transported in the belly of the aircraft.”
“This individual can expect that TSA will issue him a very costly Federal civil penalty for his careless actions. That’s an expensive lesson to learn,” Spero added.
TSA has details on how to travel with a firearm and ammunition posted on its website.
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and passengers should do their homework to make sure that they are not violating any local firearm laws.
Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to sue individuals who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint.
Lisa McCormick, a progressive anti-violence advocate, said Congress should be concerned about how often travelers are carrying handguns at airports.
“While it is good that weapons are being found at security checkpoints, I have no confidence that all of the firearms airline passengers are toting have been identified,” said McCormick. “This is one of many disturbing reports about Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopping a passenger who was carrying a loaded firearm.”
A Mississippi man was arrested by police on Wednesday, October 16, after Transportation Security Administration officers at Newark Liberty International Airport intercepted disassembled gun parts artfully concealed in a boot and a LEGO box.
The TSA officer detected the fully disassembled 9mm firearm in a carry-on bag at a checkpoint in Terminal A as the man’s duffle bag entered the checkpoint X-ray machine.
The gun frame was jammed in the bottom of a boot below a sock that had been stuffed behind it to help conceal it. The gun’s slide, spring and gun magazine loaded with 12 bullets were detected mixed among the plastic pieces of a Black Panther LEGO set.
Port Authority Police were alerted, confiscated the items, and arrested the man, who was ticketed to fly to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“This is an example of someone who was intentionally attempting to carry a gun onto a flight,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey. “He kept changing his story, first telling us that it was a toy gun and then claiming that it belonged to his brother. Regardless of his claims, what I can tell you is that it was a fully disassembled firearm that he could easily have assembled and used on a plane. Not only does this individual face criminal charges from the police, but he also will face a stiff federal financial civil penalty that is likely to set him back several thousands of dollars.”
Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances.
This applies to individuals with or without concealed gun carry permits because a concealed carry permit does not allow a firearm to be carried through a checkpoint. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online.
McCormick said during the first nine months of 2024, TSA officers intercepted more than 5,000 firearms at airport security checkpoints, or an average of 18 per day, more than 93% of which were loaded.
Officers screened more than 678 million passengers through the first three quarters of 2024, which comprised record-setting summer travel volumes.