Two guns discovered by TSA at Detroit Metropolitan Airport

Local Press Release
Friday, November 13, 2020
This loaded handgun was detected by TSA officers in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Nov. 12. (TSA photo)

DETROIT – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers detected and prevented two handguns from making their way in the passenger cabin of airplanes at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW).

On Thursday, Nov. 12, TSA officers detected two loaded 9mm handguns in the carry-on bags of different travelers.

In both incidents, TSA officials immediately alerted the Wayne County Airport Police, and officers responded to the checkpoints, removed the female travelers and confiscated the weapons. The incidents were not related. The first incident occurred around 11:00 a.m. and the second occurred around 3:15 p.m.

DTW gun catch photo 2
This loaded handgun was detected by TSA officers in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Nov. 12. (TSA photo)

“Our TSA officers continue to do an amazing job and prevented these two firearms from entering the secure area of the airport,” said Detroit’s TSA Federal Security Director Steve Lorincz. “The holiday travel season is approaching and passengers are reminded to be mindful of the location of their firearms at all times. Please keep guns and weapons in a secure location without bringing them to airport security checkpoints.”

This is the 37th and 38th firearm detected at DTW security checkpoints in 2020. TSA officers detected a total of 47 at DTW last year.

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, locked case, unloaded and declared at the airline check-in counter. Ammunition must be packed separately from the firearm. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality, so travelers should know the laws in the destination and arrival jurisdictions.

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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