MADISON, WI – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped a Missouri man from carrying a loaded pistol onto his flight at Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) on Friday, Apr. 9. This was the second firearm detected at MSN in one week.
On Friday morning just after 6:00, a TSA officer detected a 9mm pistol with a bullet chambered along with three magazines each containing 7 rounds and ten 12-gauge shotgun shells in the passenger’s carry-on bag. TSA immediately alerted the Dane County Sheriff’s Department who took possession of the firearm and arrested the Missouri resident.
“Arriving to a security checkpoint with a loaded firearm is not only dangerous; but also, an inconvenience to other passengers because checkpoint lane comes to a standstill until the police resolve the incident,” said Mark Lendvay, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Wisconsin. “I strongly urge any gun owner to ensure they know where their firearm is before traveling to the airport.”
A total of seven firearms have been detected at TSA security checkpoints in Wisconsin this year.
If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges. TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. TSA may seek a penalty amount of up to $13,910 per violation, if there are aggravating factors. 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.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter.
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.