TSA officers stopped an Arkansas man with this loaded handgun at the Lynchburg Regional Airport security checkpoint on Feb. 2. (TSA photo)
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Lynchburg Regional Airport prevented an Arkansas man from bringing his loaded handgun onto his flight yesterday (Feb. 2). The .38 caliber gun was loaded with 15 bullets.
The gun was caught as the man entered the security checkpoint. The X-ray unit alerted on the carry-on bag, which was searched. The firearm was removed by the local police who confiscated the gun and cited the man on weapons charges. In addition to the citation by airport police, he now faces a stiff financial civil penalty. The penalty for carrying weapons recently increased to a maximum of $15,000.
“Our TSA team at Lynchburg perform their jobs well with special focus to our mission,” said Robin “Chuck” Burke, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “I hope this serves as a reminder to others not to bring their guns to an airport security checkpoint. We are happy to make sure that firearms travel with their owners as long as the guns are packed properly. That begins with ensuring that they are unloaded. Please understand that any time dangerous items are presented in the screening checkpoint, we have serious safety concerns for everyone in the area. The resulting mandatory search disrupts the process for passengers behind the offender. Individuals who own firearms are able to familiarize themselves with regulations regarding where their weapons can and cannot be carried on the TSA website.”
Passengers are only permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage. Firearms must be unloaded then packed in a hard-sided locked case. The locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and gun owners have a duty to ensure they are not violating any local firearm laws. Additionally, contacting the respective airline could reveal any additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
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 gun 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 a concealed carry permit does not allow 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 will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
Last year, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints nationwide. Eighty-eight percent of those guns were loaded.
Unsure if an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither? Download the free myTSA app, which has a handy “What can I bring?” feature that allows you to type in the item to find out if it can fly. Or ask on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA. Travelers may send a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872).