Bucks Man Arrested At Airport Checkpoint With Loaded Gun In Backpack

NEWARK, N.J. – A Bucks County man is facing a state weapons charge and stiff federal financial penalties after he was arrested on Oct. 19 for bringing a gun to a security checkpoint at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The .45 caliber handgun was removed from the man’s backpack after Transportation Security Administration officers spotted it on a checkpoint X-ray machine and prevented the Doylestown man from bringing the loaded handgun onto his flight.

Port Authority Police were alerted, responded to the Terminal C checkpoint, confiscated the gun and interviewed the traveler before arresting him on a state weapons charge.

In addition to being arrested, the man faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty for bringing a gun to a security checkpoint. The penalty for bringing a weapon to a TSA checkpoint can cost as much as $15,000, depending on the circumstances.

TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. This applies to individuals with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

“Travelers need to pay more attention to the items that they have inside their carry-on bags,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey. “So far this year our officers are stopping an average of two guns per month at our checkpoints. The number of travelers who are bringing their guns to the airport is alarming. And it is inexcusable. That’s not how to transport a gun for a flight. Responsible gun owners know this.”