TSA stops passengers with loaded handguns: Friday the 13th at Reagan National Airport; on the 12th At Newark Liberty; On the 11th at Sioux Gateway Airport

Friday the 13th: Local man cited after TSA stops him with loaded handgun at Reagan National Airport

Local Press Release Friday, March 13, 2020

TSA officers detected this loaded handgun in a man’s carry-on bag at Reagan National Airport on March 13. (TSA photo)

WASHINGTON – It proved to be a truly bad Friday the 13th for a Fairfax County, Virginia, man this morning when Transportation Security Administration officers detected a 9 mm handgun loaded with 10 bullets in his carry-on bag at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) early this morning.  

The gun was spotted by a TSA officer in the checkpoint X-ray machine. TSA contacted the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority Police, who arrived at the checkpoint, confiscated the gun and detained the man, a resident of Reston, Virginia, for questioning before citing him on a weapons charge.

Man arrested after TSA stops him from bringing handgun onto an airplane at Newark Liberty International Airport

Local Press Release Thursday, March 12, 2020

TSA officers at Newark Liberty International Airport detected this loaded handgun in a traveler’s carry-on bag on March 11. (TSA photo)

NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey man was arrested by police after a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer caught him with a 9 mm handgun along with an additional magazine loaded with eight hollow-point bullets in his duffle bag at a security checkpoint in Terminal A yesterday, March 11.  

TSA officers caught the unloaded handgun as it entered the checkpoint X-ray machine. Port Authority Police were contacted, confiscated the gun and loaded magazine and arrested the man, a resident of Union, New Jersey, on weapons charges.  

Firearms Caught at Newark Liberty International Airport

Nebraska woman stopped by TSA with loaded gun at Sioux Gateway Airport 

Local Press ReleaseWednesday, March 11, 2020

This handgun was detected by a TSA officer in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Sioux Gateway Airport on March 11. (TSA photo)

SOUIX CITY, IOWA– A Nebraska woman was caught with a 9 mm handgun loaded with eight bullets including one in the chamber by a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Sioux Gateway Airport early this morning (March 11).

The TSA officer spotted the gun as it entered the checkpoint X-ray machine inside of the woman’s carry-on bag. TSA notified the Sioux City Police, who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the handgun and detained the woman, a resident of Dix County, Nebraska, for questioning before releasing her.

It was the first gun caught at the airport checkpoint so far this calendar year.  

The woman, who lives in Ponca, Nebraska, told officials that she did not know that she had a loaded gun with her. She said that the gun belonged to her husband and they had reported the gun as stolen because they lost track of it.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at the airline check-in counter. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked and packed separately from ammunition. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality.

As a reminder, individuals who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to possible criminal charges from law enforcement. Even travelers with concealed firearm permits are not allowed to bring guns onto airplanes in their carry-on bags. If an individual is a TSA Pre✓^® member, that person could even lose TSA Pre✓^® status. In addition, TSA has the authority to assess civil penalties of up to $13,333 for weapons violations. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100. The complete list of penalties is posted online.

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.

Nationwide last year, 4,432 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging about 12.1 firearms per day, approximately a 5% increase nationally in firearm discoveries from the total of 4,239 detected in 2018. Eighty-seven percent of firearms detected at checkpoints last year were loaded.

Guns caught at DCA checkpoints from 2015 to 2020