TSA detected this handgun inside a carry-on bag at JFK International Airport on July 4. (TSA photo)
NEW YORK – A man was arrested by police at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) yesterday (July 4) after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers detected a loaded handgun in the man’s carry-on bag as he entered a security checkpoint. The 9mm handgun was loaded with 10 bullets.
TSA immediately notified Port Authority Police who confiscated the firearm and arrested the Florida man, on weapons charges. It was the second gun that TSA officers have caught within a week. On June 29 they stopped a man who worked at the airport with a gun in his backpack. He also was arrested.
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.
“This was a good catch on a busy holiday,” said John Essig, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “We are seeing travel volume through our security checkpoints during the July 4th travel period, of approximately 100,000 passengers per day here at JFK International, and this is no time to be carrying prohibited or illegal items. It’s busy out there and when someone brings a prohibited or illegal item such as a firearm to an airport security checkpoint, it slows things down for everyone else. Additionally, a loaded gun at an airport is an accident waiting to happen."
It’s only the first week of July and it already was the seventh firearm that TSA officers have detected at the airport’s checkpoints so far this year. It ties the number caught during all 12 months in 2022.
Last year, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints nationwide. Eighty-eight percent of those guns were loaded. So far this year TSA has stopped more than 3,000 guns at checkpoints.
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.