BWI Airport Ties Record For Loaded Guns At Checkpoints: TSA

HANOVER, MD — For the second time in a week, a passenger was arrested after they were found with a loaded handgun at a screening station at Baltimore Washington International Airport, federal officials say. A Syracuse, New York, man was arrested at BIW Wednesday after a Transportation Security Administration officer caught him trying to bring a loaded handgun past the security checkpoint.

Just days earlier, on Dec. 13, a Baltimore man was arrested after he was caught trying to sneak a loaded semi-automatic handgun past a checkpoint. That gun had its serial number removed, a TSA spokeswoman said. And the most recent incident ties an airport record before the year ends.

The Syracuse passenger was found to have a .38-caliber gun loaded with a single bullet in his carry-on bag; it was detected by a TSA officer staffing the checkpoint X-ray monitor. TSA officers contacted the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, who confiscated the firearm and arrested the man on weapons charges. The man told authorities that he forgot that he was carrying his loaded “38 Special” handgun with him.

Wednesday’s gun catch brought the total number of firearms that TSA officers have detected at BWI Airport so far this year to 24, which ties the 2016 total of firearms that were detected at the airport’s checkpoints by TSA officers, according to a news release. In 2015, officers spotted 16 loaded weapons, and seized 14 in 2014.

Authorities pointed out that firearms are never allowed at security checkpoints. Passenger who try to transport firearms through security checkpoints face criminal charges and up to $12,000 in civil penalties.

What is the proper procedure for transporting firearms on flights?

Firearms are never permitted in carry-on bags. Firearms are permitted 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. Ask about limitations or fees.

More information on how to travel with a firearm can be found on the TSA's website.

PHOTO: TSA officers spotted this loaded handgun a passenger had in a carryon bag Wednesday, December 20 at BWI Airport. (Photo courtesy of TSA.)