A man had this loaded gun at the TSA checkpoint at Lehigh Valley International Airport on Feb. 20. (TSA photo)
ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A Lebanon County, Pa., man was cited by police yesterday (Feb. 20) after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) intercepted a gun at the airport security checkpoint.
The man, a resident of Myerstown, Pa., was not ticketed to fly and had received a “gate pass” to enter the secure area of the terminal because he was a musician who was scheduled to perform on the secure side of the checkpoint. To do so, he needed to go through the TSA checkpoint screening process.
As the man was divesting items into a bin on the checkpoint conveyor belt, he realized that he had forgotten to remove his loaded .380 caliber gun from his pocket. However, TSA protocol requires that individuals who have entered the checkpoint and begun the screening process must complete the process.
TSA officials notified the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority police, who confiscated the weapon and removed the man and the gun from the checkpoint. Police also cited him on a criminal charge.
“This individual realized too late that he had a loaded gun on him when he came to our security checkpoint,” explained Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Pennsylvania. “Part of being a responsible gun owner is knowing where your firearm is at all times and knowing that it is not permitted past a security checkpoint.”
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 weapon into a checkpoint can reach up to $15,000, depending on the specific weapon and the 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. This also applies to travelers who are enrolled in the TSA PreCheck® program, who will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges if they bring a gun to a checkpoint. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online.
When a gun is detected in the checkpoint X-ray unit, the conveyor belt is stopped, and the police are notified. Police remove the carry-on bag from the X-ray unit because TSA does not want its officers handling firearms. Police determine whether a traveler is arrested or issued a criminal citation. Meanwhile the remaining passengers in the checkpoint lane either wait for the issue to be resolved or they are shifted to another checkpoint lane, thus delaying dozens of passengers from getting to their gates.
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and passengers 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).