TSA officers caught a Virginia resident with this loaded handgun at a Norfolk International Airport security checkpoint on Dec. 9. (TSA photo)
NORFOLK, Va.—Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Norfolk International Airport caught a Virginia Beach, Va., resident with a 9mm handgun loaded with six bullets at the airport security checkpoint yesterday (Dec. 9).
When the TSA officers detected the weapon, the Norfolk Airport Authority Police were alerted and confiscated the weapon and cited the man. The case was forwarded to the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney for possible criminal prosecution. The man also faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty.
TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to individuals who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. This applies to individuals with or without concealed gun carry permits. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online.
“This was the 23rd gun that our TSA team at Norfolk has caught in a carry-on bag so far, which is the most guns we’ve ever stopped at the airport in one year,” said Robin “Chuck” Burke, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Keep in mind that this is during a pandemic when fewer individuals are flying. People need to either pack their guns properly for transport on their flight or leave them home. Under no circumstances can a passenger carry a loaded gun through a security checkpoint and onto their flight. Period.”
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter to be transported in the belly of the plane. Guns are absolutely not permitted to be carried onto planes. Checked firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm and ammunition posted on its website. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and travelers should check into firearm laws before they decide to travel with their guns. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
TSA Firearms Caught at the Norfolk International Airport checkpoints, 2017 to 2021
|
Year |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020* |
2021* (As of 12/9/21) |
|
Guns caught |
10 |
21 |
15 |
12 |
23 |
*Significantly fewer passengers than previous years due to the pandemic.
Nationwide, TSA officers detected 3,257 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints last year, although the total number of passengers screened at airport checkpoints across the country fell by 500 million compared to 2019 due to the pandemic. The result was that twice as many firearms per million passengers screened were detected at checkpoints in 2020 compared to 2019. In 2020, TSA caught approximately 10 firearms per million passengers as compared to about five firearms per million passengers in 2019. Of the guns caught by TSA in 2020, about 83 percent were loaded.