This handgun was stopped at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport checkpoint by a TSA officer on April 28. (TSA photo)
BUFFALO, N.Y. – A Chautauqua County, N.Y., man was cited by police after a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) detected a loaded handgun in the man’s carry-on bag at the security checkpoint earlier today (April 28). It was the second gun detected by TSA officers at the security checkpoint so far this year.
The .380 caliber gun was detected as the man was entering the security checkpoint with his carry-on items. TSA officials notified the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) Police who immediately responded to the checkpoint. The traveler, a resident of Silver Creek, N.Y., voluntarily surrendered his firearm to the NFTA Police for destruction.
Bart R. Johnson, TSA Federal Security Director for Upstate New York, praised the TSA officers who were involved in preventing the gun from being carried onto a flight. “I commend the officer who spotted the gun on the X-ray monitor and the entire team that was working at the checkpoint this morning. We have a strong partnership with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police and work closely with them on these incidents. Their immediate response and efforts are greatly appreciated.
“Carrying a gun to an airport security checkpoint is illegal and has serious consequences to our operation and to the travelling public,” Johnson said. “As a result of this incident, this individual faces, a stiff federal financial civil penalty. When you add up what he is likely to spend in attorney fees and the various financial penalties, this mistake will likely run him into the thousands of dollars. My advice is to know what you are bringing to a TSA checkpoint to ensure you have no prohibited or illegal items with you.”
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter. 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 may 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.
Nationwide, TSA officers detected 5,972 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints last year. Of the guns caught by TSA in 2022, about 86 percent were loaded.