DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — A press release from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) confirmed that a woman from Pennsylvania attempted to enter the airport with a loaded gun.
Officers confirmed they stopped the woman after finding the loaded .380 caliber handgun in her carry-on bag during a security checkpoint at Harrisburg International Airport.
"As the summer travel volume continues to rise, these types of incidents present a danger to our dedicated workforce, and the surrounding public," stated TSA Deputy Federal Security Director Don Weston. "We encourage all travelers to know the exact location of their firearm at all times and to pack their luggage starting with a completely empty bag to ensure there are no prohibited items enclosed."
Once the gun was located, TSA officers alerted the local police, who then discovered the firearm was loaded with a chambered round.
This incident marks the fifth loaded gun that TSA officers have caught at Harrisburg airport security checkpoints in 2023.
TSA officials warn that they have the right to issue a civil penalty of up to $15,000 to individuals who bring weapons with them to a checkpoint.
This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane.
Travelers are only 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 their ammunition.
For more information about safely transporting firearms and ammunition on an airplane, the official TSA rules are listed here.