TSA officers at JFK Airport removed this handgun from among a traveler’s carry-on items at a security checkpoint on April 19. (TSA photo)
NEW YORK – A Sullivan County, N.Y., man was arrested by police after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers detected a handgun in the man’s carry-on bag at a John F. Kennedy International Airport security checkpoint on Wednesday, April 19. The firearm was not loaded; however, it was packed alongside five bullets in a gun magazine.
The handgun was detected when the man, a resident of Liberty, N.Y., entered the security checkpoint with his carry-on items. The checkpoint X-ray unit triggered an alarm, requiring that the carry-on items be more closely inspected, which is when the firearm was removed.
When the TSA officer spotted the gun, Port Authority Police was alerted, confiscated the weapon and arrested the man on a weapons charge.
The man told officials that he packed his own carry-on bag and that he had no idea how the gun and loaded gun magazine came to be inside his bag. He also claimed that the gun did not belong to him.
In addition to his arrest, the man also faces a stiff federal financial penalty. Federal penalties can reach as high as $15,000 for bringing a weapon to an airport checkpoint, depending on the circumstances.
““It is the busy spring travel season and when someone shows up with a firearm at the checkpoint the conveyor belt is stopped until the police arrive and can remove the carry-on bag from the X-ray machine to safely secure the weapon,” explained John Essig, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Bringing a loaded firearm to a security checkpoint not only slows down the individuals in that lane, but it is also a security and safety concern. Guns should never be brought to the security checkpoint in carry-on luggage.”
It was the fourth firearm that TSA officers have detected at the airport’s checkpoints so far this year. In 2022, seven guns were removed from carry-on bags at JFK Airport.
Last year, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints nationwide. Eighty-eight percent of those guns were loaded.
TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to individuals who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. This applies to people 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. If an individual with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
TSA reminds passengers and airport employees to always know the contents of their carry-on bag prior to coming to the security checkpoint. TSA has multiple resources available to passengers to help them determine whether an item is permitted in carry-on baggage, checked baggage, either or neither. Travelers can use the “Can I Bring?” feature on the TSA website or on the free downloadable myTSA app. Travelers can also tweet to @AskTSA or send a text message (275-872) if they have a travel question or are unsure if an item is allowed through security in a carry-on bag. Just snap a picture or send a question and get real-time assistance.