STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Transportation Security Administration officers at the University Park Airport say they stopped a Georgia man who was trying to carry a loaded .40-caliber handgun on to a plane on Thursday.
The officers spotted the handgun, which was loaded with 12 rounds, in the man's carry-on bag, the TSA said.
The TSA spotted the gun when the man was passing through a checkpoint's X-ray machine. They contacted Penn State University Police, who responded to the checkpoint and confiscated the firearm, the TSA said.
The man allegedly told officials that he had driven from Georgia to Pennsylvania for his job, which is how he came to be in possession of the gun in Pennsylvania.
Thursday’s firearm catch was the first gun caught at the airport checkpoint this year, the TSA said.
TSA said it reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns with them at a checkpoint. 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.
The complete list of civil penalties is posted online.
Nationwide last year, 4,432 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging about 12.1 firearms per day, approximately a 5% increase nationally in firearm discoveries from the total of 4,239 detected in 2018. Eighty-seven percent of firearms detected at checkpoints last year were loaded.
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
