Man arrested by police after TSA catches him with handgun at a security checkpoint at Philadelphia International Airport

PHILADELPHIA – A resident of Arizona was arrested by police after Transportation Security Administration officers detected a handgun among his carry-on items at a security checkpoint at Philadelphia International Airport on Friday, Sept. 24. The 9mm gun was loaded with 17 bullets.

When the TSA officer spotted the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine, the Philadelphia Police were alerted, confiscated the gun and detained the man for questioning before arresting him. TSA forwarded the incident to be followed up with the issuance of a federal financial civil penalty.

“Our TSA officers are good at detecting firearms and other prohibited items that travelers bring to our security checkpoints,” said Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Philadelphia International Airport. “Responsible gun owners know where their firearms are at all times and they know that they are not allowed to carry them onto their flight. If you own a firearm, under no circumstances should you ever bring it to a checkpoint. They must be properly packed and declared at the airline check-in counter.”

Travelers are allowed to transport their firearms as checked baggage to be transported in the belly of the plane so that nobody has access to a gun during a flight. Checked firearms must be unloaded, placed in a hard-sided case, locked and packed separately from ammunition. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm 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 reserves the right to issue a stiff civil penalty to individuals who bring weapons with them to a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating or aggravating 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 into an airport or onto an airplane. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

When an individual shows up at a checkpoint with a firearm, the checkpoint lane comes to a standstill until the police resolve the incident. Guns at checkpoints can delay travelers from getting to their gates.

TSA firearms caught at PHL Airport checkpoints, 2017 to 2022

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.