This gun was detected by a TSA officers in a traveler’s carry-on bag at Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport on August 27. (TSA photo)
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A Rochester, N.Y., man was stopped at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoint with a loaded gun at Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport after security officers spotted the weapon in the man’s carry-on bag on Saturday, Aug. 27. It was the second gun that security officials have detected at the airport checkpoint so far this year.
The .45 caliber firearm was not loaded; however, it was packed alongside a large manila envelope containing 18 bullets along with an empty gun magazine.
To fly with a firearm, travelers must pack their unloaded gun in a locked hard-sided case and declare it at the airline ticket counter so that the airline representative can ensure it is transported in the belly of the plane. The man told officials that he forgot to declare the gun at his airline check-in counter as per proper protocol and indeed the items were otherwise properly packed in a locked hard-sided case, ready to be declared.
Officials allowed the traveler to properly check his firearm and then allowed him through the security checkpoint.
“If you own a firearm, it is your responsibility to properly pack and declare it,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for airports in Upstate New York. “Even if someone has a permit to carry a firearm, they still may not carry it on board a flight. Nobody should have access to a gun during a flight.”
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 2021, about 86 percent were loaded.