MANCHESTER, N.H. – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped another firearm from entering an aircraft at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) on Friday, August 13. This was the second firearm detected in a week and the fourth detection this year by TSA officers at MHT security checkpoints.
On Friday evening, a TSA officer detected a loaded .22 caliber firearm along with ten rounds, with one chambered in a man’s carry-on bag. Londonderry Police responded, cleared the gun and escorted the man to his vehicle in order to secure the firearm.
“Our TSA officers remain vigilant in their efforts to prevent firearms from entering the secure area of the airport,” said Robert Krekorian, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Hampshire. “Passengers must remember they’re responsible for the contents of their bags and our advice is they thoroughly inspect all personal carry-on bags to ensure there are no illegal or prohibited items with them.”
This fourth find equals the amount found in all of 2018. In 2019 TSA officers discovered one firearm at MHT security checkpoints and two during 2020.
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.