2 Guns Seized At Newark Airport, Travelers Not Arrested: TSA

NEWARK, NJ — Authorities seized two guns at Newark Airport last weekend, officials say.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers intercepted two handguns in carry-on bags during separate incidents on Saturday, the agency reported. Neither incident was related.

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Here’s what happened, TSA officials said:

• “A Mountain Lakes, N.J., man was stopped with a 9mm handgun loaded with four bullets. He told officials that he forgot that he had his gun with him.”
• “Later the same day, a Pearl River, N.Y., man was stopped when TSA detected his 9mm handgun loaded with six bullets.”

Both travelers had firearm permits, so police didn’t cite or arrest either of them. However, the guns were not permitted through the checkpoint.

“Our officers are good at their job, and they are focused on the mission,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s federal security director for New Jersey.

According to the TSA, guns can be transported on a flight if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and declared to the airline. The airline will be sure that the gun travels with checked baggage in the belly of the plane, never in the cabin of the plane.

“The firearms need to be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided case and declared at their airline check-in counter,” Carter said. “The airline representative then makes sure that the gun is transported in the belly of the plane so that nobody has access to it during a flight.”

The federal penalty for bringing a weapon to a TSA checkpoint can cost as much as $15,000, depending on the circumstances.

Authorities have seized five guns at Newark Airport so far this year. Last year, a total of 21 guns were confiscated.

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