27th Gun Detected At BWI Airport, Surpassing 2017 Record

HANOVER, MD — With just a few weeks left in the year, TSA officers have surpassed the record for guns caught at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) checkpoints. Officials announced Dec. 11 that they now have confiscated 27 guns.

The 27th gun caught this year was spotted Dec. 10 when a Sparks, Md., man was found in possession of a .25 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets, including one in the chamber, in his carry-on bag. The man told officials that he had taken the gun to a shooting range and forgot that he still had it with him. A TSA officer spied the gun in the carry-on bag while it was inside the checkpoint X-ray machine.

The Maryland Transportation Authority Police were notified and upon arriving at the checkpoint, confiscated the firearm and detained the man for questioning before arresting him on weapons charges.

In 2017, a total of 26 guns were confiscated at BWI. In 2016, 24 guns were confiscated at BWI and 22 in 2018. The 26th gun of 2019 detected at the checkpoint was a 9 mm handgun loaded with 15 bullets. The man told officials that he forgot he had his gun with him.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked and packed separately from ammunition. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality.

Nationwide last year, 4,239 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging about 11.6 firearms per day, approximately 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 last year were loaded and nearly 34 percent had a bullet in the chamber.

Individuals who bring firearms to TSA airport checkpoints can face possible criminal charges from law enforcement. Even travelers with concealed firearm permits are not allowed to bring guns onto airplanes in their carry-on bags. If the individual is a TSA Pre✓® member, that person could lose their TSA Pre✓® status. TSA also has the authority to assess civil penalties of up to $13,333 for weapons violations. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100. The complete list of penalties is posted online.