BOSTON – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped a woman from carrying a loaded firearm onto an airplane at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) on Saturday, May 22. This was the third firearm detection this year and third in the less than two weeks by TSA officers at BOS security checkpoints.
On Saturday morning around 11:00, a TSA officer detected the loaded .25 caliber firearm along with a magazine containing five rounds in the woman’s carry-on bag. Massachusetts State Police responded and took possession of the firearm. The woman was then allowed to continue.
“Our TSA officers continue to do a fantastic job preventing firearms from entering the secure area of the airport,” said Bob Allison, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Massachusetts. “The summer travel season starts this weekend and passengers who are traveling with firearms should ensure they are properly packed in their checked baggage. When an individual shows up at a checkpoint with a firearm in their carry-on bag, it slows down security screening until the police resolve the incident.”
In 2020 TSA discovered a total of 11 firearms at BOS security checkpoints and 18 in 2019.
TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100 and can go as high as $13,669 depending on any 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. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
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.