HARRISBURG, Pa. — Officials with the Transportation Security Administration at Harrisburg International Airport stopped a man from going through security with a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag on Friday.
The Association said the Mechanicsburg man told them he carries the gun with him to go to church, where he serves on the security detail, and forgot he had it with him when he headed to the airport on March 31.
“The TSA officers in Harrisburg perform their jobs exceptionally well,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “When dangerous items such as loaded guns are brought to a security checkpoint, it represents a serious security and safety concern. Individuals are not permitted to carry a firearm through a security checkpoint— not someone with a concealed weapons permit, not someone who is enrolled in TSA PreCheck®, not an airport worker and not a traveler who forgot that he had it with him.”
HIA officials were alerted to the violation when the man's bag went through the x-ray unit at the security checkpoint. When authorities opened the bag to take a closer look, they discovered the 9mm handgun loaded with 10 bullets.
Now, the man faces a financial civil penalty from TSA. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.
Passengers are only permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage. Firearms must be unloaded then packed in a hard-sided locked case. The locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. It also recommends that passengers check with the specific airline they are traveling with to ensure there are no other additional requirements for traveling with a firearm and/or ammunition.
As of April 2, TSA officials say they caught three guns at the HIA security checkpoint.
Last year, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints nationwide. Eighty-eight percent of those guns were loaded, officials said.
