BUFFALO, N.Y. – A Williamsville, N.Y., man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport (BUF) after they intercepted a gun among the man’s carry-on items on Tuesday, November 12. The 9mm handgun was loaded with 11 bullets, including one in the chamber.
When the checkpoint X-ray unit triggered an alarm on the contents of the carry-on bag, TSA officers who viewed the X-ray image spotted the firearm and halted the screening process. They immediately notified the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police (NFTA) who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the gun and detained the man for questioning. Due to the passenger possessing a valid New York State pistol permit, law enforcement cited the man with a Notice of Violation on a weapons charge and later allowed him to leave the airport with his firearm.
Guns are not permitted to be carried into or through the security checkpoint and now in addition to the criminal citation, the man also faces a stiff financial civil penalty from TSA. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.
“I would like to acknowledge my appreciation to the TSA officers who took quick action and to the NFTA police officers who responded to the checkpoint and ensured that the man did not retain control of his loaded gun,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Upstate New York.
“Bringing a loaded firearm to a checkpoint represents a threat and potentially dangerous situation to everyone in the vicinity,” Johnson added. “I hope that others learn from this traveler’s mistake.”
Firearms intercepted by TSA at the BUF Airport checkpoint, 2015 to 2024 (as of 11/12/24)
Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Guns at BUF checkpoint | 2 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
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.
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).