Stamford Man Tried To Bring Gun, Bullets On Plane: TSA

STAMFORD, CT — A Stamford man was arrested earlier this week after the Transportation Safety Administration says he tried to bring a handgun and ammunition onto a plane at Westchester County Airport.

The man, who was not named by the TSA, was arrested by police at Westchester County Airport on March 30, after TSA officers intercepted a gun in his carry-on at the airport checkpoint. In addition to the 9mm handgun, a gun magazine that was loaded with 10 bullets was also found.

Once the firearm was detected, TSA contacted the Westchester County Police Department while other passengers in the security lane were delayed until the incident was resolved. County police confiscated the gun and arrested the man.

"When someone shows up with a gun at our checkpoint, it inconveniences other travelers who are waiting to be screened," John Essig, TSA's Federal Security Director for HPN, said in a news release. "The traveler was arrested, and he’ll now face a stiff financial civil penalty, so he's paying the price for his mistake. Hopefully this will serve as a reminder to other gun owners not to make this same mistake. You should never bring a gun to a security checkpoint. That's not the proper way to transport a gun for a flight."

The federal penalty for bringing a weapon to a TSA checkpoint can cost up to $15,000, depending on the circumstances.

TSA has the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and firearm parts with them at a checkpoint. This applies to individuals with or without concealed gun carry permits.

The complete list of civil penalties can be found here. If a traveler with a firearm is a member of TSA PreCheck, that person will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

Guns can be transported on a flight if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and declared to the airline, which will make sure that the gun travels with checked baggage in the belly of the plane.

TSA says that it has several resources available to help determine whether an item is permitted in carry-on baggage, checked baggage, either or neither. Travelers can use the "Can I Bring?" feature on the TSA website or in the free myTSA app. Travelers can also tweet to @AskTSA or send a text message (275-872) if they have a travel question or are unsure if an item is allowed through security in a carry-on bag. Travelers can snap a photo or send a question and get real-time assistance.

— This post contains reporting from Patch Editor Jeff Edwards