HARRISBURG, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from Nov. 29.
A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) caught the 10th loaded gun packed in carry-on luggage this year—a record high.
The officer spotted the 9 mm handgun belonging to a Florida resident in the checkpoint X-ray machine and alerted police.
“Our officers are good at their jobs and are focused on their mission—especially during the busy holiday travel period,” 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—a penalty for carrying a weapon that was recently increased to a maximum of $15,000.”
The Dec. 15 discovery marks a record high number of guns caught at HIA in a single year in the 21-year history of TSA.
Nationwide, TSA officers detected 5,972 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints in 2021. Of the guns caught by TSA last year, about 86 percent were loaded. TSA has already surpassed the 2021 figure and expects to detect approximately 6,600 firearms at security checkpoints by the end of 2022, which will be a new record.
Flyers are allowed to travel with firearms if they follow the guidelines laid out by the TSA, which can be found here.