3rd Loaded Gun In A Week Found In Bag At BWI Airport: TSA

HANOVER, MD — For the third time in a week, a passenger was arrested at a Baltimore Washington International Airport security checkpoints for allegedly having a loaded gun in carry-on luggage. In the most recent case, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, woman with a loaded handgun was stopped Wednesday morning, June 27, marking the 13th gun caught at the airport so far this year. A Prince George’s County man was found to have a loaded gun on June 23 and an Anne Arundel County man was caught with his loaded gun on June 21, said Lisa Farbstein, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration.

The Pennsylvania woman had a .357 caliber handgun loaded with seven bullets in her carry-on luggage when the bag entered the TSA checkpoint X-ray machine and was seen by a TSA officer, authorities said. The flier told TSA officials that her husband was the last to use the suitcase, had packed it in the roller bag on his last trip and left it there. She did not notice the gun was in the bag when she packed her suitcase, the woman told police.

In all three incidents, the passenger was arrested by Maryland Transportation Authority Police on weapons charges, according to a news release. Last year, a record 26 arrests were made for guns detected by TSA officers at the airport's checkpoints, the most guns caught at the airport during a single calendar year.

In 2016 TSA officers stopped 24 guns at the airport's checkpoints, said Farbstein. The numbers of weapons spotted at security points have steadily increased since 2013, when 13 guns were found. That inched up to 14 firearms in 2014 and 16 guns in 2015.

Authorities remind airline passengers that firearms are never allowed at security checkpoints. Passenger who try to transport firearms through security checkpoints face criminal charges and the TSA has the authority to assess fines of up to $13,000. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $3,900.

This summer is expected to be one of the busiest in TSA’s history and when someone brings a firearm to a checkpoint, it closes the checkpoint lane until the situation can be resolved, thus forcing the other travelers to shift into another lane and delaying their passage through the checkpoint, Farbstein said.

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.

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PHOTO: TSA officers say they stopped a Pennsylvania woman from bringing this loaded handgun onto an airplane on Wednesday, June 27, at BWI Airport. (Photo courtesy of TSA.)