NC Man Brings Gun To BWI Airport Security Checkpoint: TSA

HANOVER, MD — Less than two weeks after a Hagerstown man told federal security officials he didn't know there was a collapsible rifle in his carry-on bag, a North Carolina man was arrested after Transportation Security Administration officers at Baltimore Washington International Airport spotted a loaded handgun in at a screening checkpoint. The man had the .380 caliber handgun in his carry-on bag on Saturday, Oct. 20, TSA officials said in a news release.

The handgun was loaded with six bullets and was detected by a TSA officer when the passenger’s carry-on luggage entered the TSA checkpoint X-ray machine. Maryland Transportation Authority Police confiscated the gun and arrested the man on weapons charges. The man told authorities he did not know that he was carrying his loaded gun with him.

It marked the 21st gun caught at one of the airport checkpoints so far this year. Last year TSA officers detected 26 firearms at the airport’s checkpoints which was a record.

Travelers who bring firearms to TSA checkpoints are subject to criminal charges. Even travelers with firearm permits are not allowed to bring guns onto airplanes.

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.

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 prevented a man from bringing this loaded handgun onto an airplane on Saturday, October 20th at BWI Airport. (Photo courtesy of TSA.)