Loaded Gun Found In Bag At Philly International Airport Monday

PHILADELPHIA — A Montgomery Count man was cited by police Monday after Transportation Security Administration officers at the Philadelphia International Airport officers found a loaded gun in his carry-on items.

According to TSA, the gun was found among the man’s carry-on items at one of the airport security checkpoints. The 9mm gun was loaded with 12 bullets.

Authorities said the firearm was intercepted when the checkpoint X-ray machine alerted a TSA officer of the gun inside the carry-on bag.

Tinicum Township Police responded, confiscated the firearm, and cited the man on a weapons charge

"Bringing a loaded firearm to an airport security checkpoint introduces an unnecessary security risk to our officers and to fellow travelers," Christine Assili, TSA’s Deputy Federal Security Director for the airport, said. "We have no issues with people who pack their firearms properly for a flight. Bringing a loaded handgun to our checkpoints isn’t the way to do it. The proper way is to pack your unloaded firearm in a locked hard-sided case. Then take the case to your airline check-in counter and declare that you want to travel with it. The airline will make sure it is transported in the belly of the plane so that nobody has access to it during the flight. It’s a fairly simple process. Instead, this individual, a resident of Lansdale, Pa., faces a federal financial civil penalty in addition to having to deal with the criminal citation issued by the police."

Since the beginning of the year, TSA has caught 26 firearms at the Philadelphia International Airport.