HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Harrisburg man was stopped while attempting to board an aircraft while carrying a loaded handgun in his carry-on baggage Friday at Harrisburg International Airport, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday.
The man was stopped at a security checkpoint by a TSA officer, the administration said. The handgun was loaded with nine 9mm rounds, according to the TSA.
It's the eighth gun that TSA officers have caught at an HIA airport security checkpoint so far this year, the administration said.
When the TSA officer spotted the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine, the police were alerted.
The 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,” 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.”
TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty of up to $13,900 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, according to the TSA.
If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
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, the TSA said.
Checked firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition.
The 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," the TSA said. "Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition."
When someone shows up at a checkpoint with a firearm, the checkpoint lane comes to a standstill until the police resolve the incident, the TSA said. 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 last year. Of the guns caught by TSA in 2021, about 86 percent were loaded.
