This loaded handgun was detected by TSA in a traveler’s carry-on bag at Harrisburg International Airport on Dec. 15. (TSA photo)
HARRISBURG, Pa. – A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Harrisburg International Airport stopped a Florida resident with a loaded 9mm handgun in his carry-on bag at the airport security checkpoint on Thursday, Dec. 15.
It was the 10th gun that TSA officers have caught at the airport security checkpoint so far this year, a record high number caught at the airport in a single year in the 21-year history of TSA.
When the TSA officer spotted the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine, the police were alerted. TSA also forwarded the incident to be followed up with the issuance of a federal financial civil penalty.
“Our officers are good at their jobs and are focused on their mission—especially during the busy holiday travel period,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “If you own a firearm, it is your responsibility to know where it is at all times and know that it cannot go through an airport security checkpoint. This individual now faces a stiff financial civil penalty—a penalty for carrying a weapon that was recently increased to a maximum of $15,000.”
TSA Firearms Caught at the Harrisburg International Airport checkpoint, 2017 to 2022
|
Year |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 (As of 12/19/22) |
|
Guns caught |
6 |
7 |
4 |
2 |
10 |
TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty of up to $15,000 to individuals who bring weapons with them to a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating or aggravating circumstances. This applies to travelers 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. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges for up to five years.
Travelers are allowed to transport their firearms as checked baggage if they are properly packed and declared at their airline ticket counter to be transported in the belly of the plane. Checked firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and travelers should check into firearm laws before they decide to travel with their guns. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
When an individual shows up at a checkpoint with a firearm, the checkpoint lane comes to a standstill until the police resolve the incident. Guns at checkpoints can delay travelers from getting to their gates.
Nationwide, TSA officers detected 5,972 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints in 2021. Of the guns caught by TSA last year, about 86 percent were loaded. TSA has already surpassed the 2021 figure and expects to detect approximately 6,600 firearms at security checkpoints by the end of 2022, which will be a new record.