TSA officers stopped a man with this handgun at a LaGuardia Airport security checkpoint on Oct. 3. (TSA photo)
NEW YORK – A Connecticut man was arrested by police after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at LaGuardia Airport caught him with a .380 caliber handgun among his carry-on items this morning (Oct. 3). The .380 caliber handgun was loaded with six bullets.
It was the sixth gun that TSA officers have detected at the airport checkpoints so far this year.
The weapon was caught as the man, a resident of Newtown, Conn., entered the security checkpoint. The X-ray unit alerted on his carry-on bag. TSA officials notified the Port Authority Police who confiscated the gun and arrested the man on a weapons charge. In addition to the citation by airport police, this individual now faces a stiff financial civil penalty. Civil penalties for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.
“It is disappointing to see travelers carrying their loaded guns to our security checkpoints,” said Robert Duffy, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “The numbers of individuals who are stopped with guns at checkpoints across the country is staggering. Nationwide, TSA officers have already detected more than 5,000 firearms at checkpoints across the country this year and we still have three months remaining in 2023.
“It’s troubling that this is the sixth firearm that our TSA officers have intercepted at LaGuardia Airport so far this year. Even individuals with a concealed carry permit or travelers who are enrolled in the TSA PreCheck® program are not allowed to bring firearms through our checkpoints. There is no reasonable excuse for bringing a loaded firearm to one of our checkpoints because you can’t bring it into the cabin of a plane. Responsible gun owners know this.”
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case. Then 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.
Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint also 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. 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.
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and individuals who want to travel with their gun 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.
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).