June 18, 2022
The Transportation Security Administration Reports that a Radnor, Pa., man was arrested by police after officials prevented him from carrying a loaded handgun through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint and onto his flight on Tuesday, June 14, at Atlantic City International Airport.
The handgun was detected when the security officer who was staffing the checkpoint X-ray monitor spotted the .38 caliber handgun loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber inside the man’s carry-on bag. Security officials then alerted New Jersey State Police who confiscated the handgun and arrested the man.
The man claimed that the carry-on bag and its contents, including the loaded gun, belonged to his father.
“Bringing a deadly weapon such as a loaded handgun to a security checkpoint is a very serious offense,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey. “Travelers are responsible for the contents of their bags.”
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.
Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
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.
Last year TSA officers detected 5,972 guns at security checkpoints nationwide and 86 percent of them were loaded.
Atlantic City International Airport Facebook Photo