Passenger With Gun Tried To Board Flight At Westchester Airport: TSA

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — TSA screeners stopped a man from boarding a flight with a loaded semi-automatic handgun, Westchester County Police and Homeland Security officials confirmed today.

A Connecticut man was arrested and a loaded handgun was seized at the Westchester County Airport on Tuesday after TSA personnel spotted the weapon while screening carry-on baggage, according to officials. The TSA alerted the Westchester County Police Department immediately after catching the weapon during X-Ray screening. A WCPD officer then identified the owner of the bag and took him into custody.

Frank Klein, of Fairfield, was booked at WCPD headquarters on a charge of misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon 3rd Degree. The 59-year-old also faces a federal civil penalty for bringing a gun to an airport security checkpoint.

“Our officers are good at preventing prohibited items and deadly weapons from getting past the checkpoints and people who try to bring a gun onto a flight will pay a stiff price,” Westchester County Airport TSA Director Robert Duffy said. "I can assure you that the civil penalty will be costly. If you own a firearm, pack it correctly for transport in checked baggage or leave it at home."

Klein was released pending an appearance in Rye Town Court on April 20.

The weapon seized was a .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun, according to police. Officials said Klein does not have a valid permit for the weapon in New York or Connecticut.

Guns can be transported on a flight if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and declared to the airline, according to the TSA. 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. At the airport during the check-in process, a passenger needs to go to the airline ticket counter to declare the firearm, ammunition and any firearm parts.