TSA officers at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport stop man with handgun

Local Press Release
Monday, September 14, 2020
This handgun and loaded magazine was detected by TSA officers in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on Sept. 12. (TSA photo)

CLEVELAND – Transportation Security Administration officers (TSA) stopped a man from carrying a 9 mm handgun and loaded magazine onto an airplane at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) on Saturday, Sept. 12.

At approximately 5:00 a.m., a TSA officer detected the gun in the man’s carry-on bag. They immediately alerted the Cleveland Police Department and a deputy responded to the checkpoint and confiscated the weapon.

“Passengers are reminded that firearms are not allowed at airport security checkpoints,” said Ohio’s TSA Federal Security Director Don Barker. “Our TSA officers remain vigilant during this pandemic and after our 19th anniversary remembrance of the 9/11 attacks to help keep our flight crews and passengers safe.”

TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns with them at a checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100 and can go as high as $13,669 depending on any mitigating circumstances. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, they are still not permitted to bring a firearm into the passenger section of the 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 for a period of time.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packed in a hardback case, unloaded and declared at the airline check-in counter. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked and packed separately from ammunition. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should check for firearm laws in the jurisdictions they are flying to and from.

TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.

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