Fairfield Man Tried To Bring Gun On Plane: TSA

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Fairfield man was charged this week after trying to take a loaded gun onto a flight at Westchester County Airport, according to federal authorities.

Frank Klein, 59, of Congress Street, was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the incident, Westchester County police said.

A Transportation Security Administration officer saw the Glock .40-caliber handgun just before 6 a.m. Tuesday, when the bag — bound for Charlotte, North Carolina — was being screened by an X-ray monitor at the airport in White Plains, New York, authorities said. The gun was loaded with 10 bullets, according to a TSA news release.

Westchester County police were alerted and confiscated the gun, officials said. Klein, who did not have a valid pistol permit for the weapon, was released from Westchester County police headquarters and is due April 20 in Rye Town Court, according to Kieran O’Leary, director of public information for the Westchester County Department of Public Safety.

In addition to being arrested, Klein faces a federal financial civil penalty, according to the TSA.

“Our officers are good at preventing prohibited items and deadly weapons from getting past the checkpoints and people who try to bring a gun onto a flight will pay a stiff price,” said Robert Duffy, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, in the news release. “If you own a firearm, pack it correctly for transport in checked baggage or leave it at home.”

Guns can be taken on a flight if they are unloaded; packed in a locked, hard-sided case; and declared to the airline, according to the TSA. Guns must travel with checked baggage in the belly of the plane. Replica firearms are also prohibited in carry-on baggage and must be transported in checked luggage.

During the check-in process, passengers must go to the airline ticket counter and declare the gun, ammunition and any firearm parts, according to the TSA.

Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into the thousands of dollars, depending on the circumstances, according to the TSA.