Record Pace For Gun Seizures In 2019 Looms At BWI Airport

HANOVER, MD — A Glen Burnie man is accused of bringing a loaded handgun to Baltimore-Washington International Airport on June 5. Federal authorities say it's the 15th gun seizure this year at BWI, which is ahead of record pace for the number of firearms confiscated from fliers in a year.

The man was stopped at the security checkpoint X-ray machine with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun in his carry-on bag; officials say the gun was loaded with 16 bullets, including one in the chamber. He told Transportation Security Administration officials that he usually carries the gun for work, and forgot that he had his weapon with him, according to a news release.

Maryland Transportation Authority Police confiscated the firearm and detained the man for questioning before citing him on weapons charges.

Last month, TSA officers seized guns at the security checkpoint on three straight days. A Hopewell, Virginia, man was stopped May 24 with an unloaded 9 mm handgun in his carry-on bag. The day before a Pasadena man was stopped by TSA officers at a checkpoint after screeners spotted a 9-mm handgun loaded with seven bullets including one in the chamber, along with a spare magazine clip loaded with seven additional bullets.

The incident followed a Glen Burnie woman caught with a loaded .38-caliber handgun at one of the security checkpoints on May 22. She told authorities that she forgot the weapon was in her bag.

Tuesday's seizure marked the 15th handgun caught by TSA officers at BWI Airport so far this year, well on pace to exceed the 22 guns that were caught during all of 2018 and ahead of the record 26 guns seized at the airport in 2017.

Nationwide last year, 4,239 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging about 11.6 firearms per day, about a 7 percent increase nationally in firearm discoveries from the total of 3,957 detected in 2017. Eighty-six percent of firearms detected at checkpoints in 2018 were loaded and nearly 34 percent had a bullet in the chamber, the TSA says.

Firearms are never allowed at security checkpoints. Passengers who try to carry firearms through security checkpoints face criminal charges and the TSA has the authority to assess fines of up to $13,000. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $3,900.

What is the proper procedure for transporting firearms on flights?

Firearms are never permitted in carry-on bags. Weapons can by in checked bags if the following requirements are met:

• They are declared to the airline in advance.
• They are unloaded and properly packed.
• The carrier possesses the necessary permits.

Firearms carried as checked baggage must be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided container, and declared to the airline at check-in. Read the guidelines.

Firearm parts, including magazines, clips, bolts and firing pins, are prohibited in carry-on, but may be transported in checked baggage.

Passengers should check with their airline if ammunition is permitted in checked baggage. Small arms ammunitions for personal use must be packed in fiber, wood or metal boxes designed to carry small amounts of ammunition.

More information on how to travel with a firearm is on the TSA's website.