TSA officers detect second firearm at Boston Logan International Airport

BOSTON – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped a woman from carrying a loaded firearm onto an airplane at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) on Tuesday, February 6. After going the entire month of January without a firearm detection, TSA officers have now detected two firearms in three days at BOS security screening checkpoints.

During Tuesday morning security screening in Terminal  C, a TSA officer detected a firearm in a female passenger’s purse. TSA officers immediately alerted Massachusetts State Police (MSP) who confirmed there was a loaded .380 caliber firearm with a chambered round and a magazine containing six rounds in the purse. During questioning, the Indiana woman stated she drove from Indiana to Massachusetts and decided to fly back, but forgot the gun was in her bag. An MSP trooper eventually took possession of the firearm and cited the 34-year-old woman on a state charge.

“In addition to the serious safety risk these incidents pose, they can also slow down the screening process for all passengers when we’re forced to temporarily close down a lane,” said Bob Allison, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Massachusetts. “I strongly urge all gun owners to ensure they know where their firearms are before traveling to the airport.”

TSA Security Checkpoint Firearm Detections at BOS (2021 - 2024):

TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded gun into a checkpoint is $3,000 and can go as high as $15,000 depending on any mitigating 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 onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter. 

TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.