CT Man Arrested After Loaded Gun Found In Carry-On Bag At Airport

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — A Connecticut man was arrested at Bradley International Airport Wednesday morning after he attempted to board a plane while carrying a loaded firearm in his carry-on bag, according to information provided by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

During a security screening, TSA officers detected the firearm in the man’s bag. TSA immediately notified Connecticut State Police (CSP), who discovered a loaded 9mm firearm along with a total of 13 rounds. After questioning, CSP arrested the unidentified 57-year-old man on state charges of circumventing security and carrying a firearm without a license.

William Csontos, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Connecticut., said in a written statement, 'Our TSA officers continue to do a fantastic job preventing firearms from entering the secure area of the airport. Passengers who are traveling with firearms need to ensure they declare them with the airline and ensure they are properly packed in their checked baggage."

This was the first firearm detected at a Bradley security checkpoint this year and the first in New England. In 2023, TSA discovered eight firearms at Bradley checkpoints, according to the TSA.

Travelers carrying guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint are subject to civil penalties. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded gun into a checkpoint is $3,000 and can go as high as $15,000, depending on any mitigating circumstances, the TSA said.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if the weapons are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter, according to the TSA.