HARRISBURG, Pa. — Transportation Security Administration officers at Harrisburg International Airport stopped a Hummelstown man who was trying to board a plane with a .22-caliber handgun in his carry-on luggage Saturday, the TSA announced.
The revolver was loaded with six bullets, the TSA said.
When the TSA officer spotted the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine, the police were alerted, confiscated the weapon and cited the man on weapons violations, according to the TSA.
The TSA said it forwarded the incident to be followed up with the issuance of a federal financial civil penalty.
“It is always disappointing when we see travelers who are carrying loaded weapons to our security checkpoints,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Travelers should know better. Guns have been prohibited from being carried onto planes for decades before TSA even existed. So it should be no surprise when someone is stopped at our checkpoint, has their weapon confiscated by police, is charged by the police and then heavily fined by TSA.”
The TSA said it 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, the TSA said.
If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges, the agency said.
"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 with checked baggage," 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, according to the TSA. 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," the TSA said. "Guns at checkpoints can delay travelers from getting to their gates."
Nationwide, the TSA said its 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, the TSA said.
