38 caliber handgun loaded with five bullets found in the carry-on bag of a woman going through the checkpoint at Yeager Airport in Charleston, W.Va., on Sunday morning, April 17.
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And while those guns did not make it onto the aircraft, they had easily been brought into airports at a time when the aviation industry is considering ways to boost airport security in the wake of last month’s deadly terror attacks in Brussels. There was no impact on airport operations, TSA officials said.
This is the third time this year a firearm was found at a TYS checkpoint.
Airport police show off some of the 5,000 items a day which are being confiscated at passenger security checkpoints at the Los Angeles International Airport, September 18, 2001.
Several airports – including Miami International Airport, Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport – reported recovering multiple weapons over the course of the week.
Two replica military rounds were also discovered in checked-in luggage at Tucson, Arizona, the TSA said.
Just a few of the guns TSA officers are finding in passengers’ carry-on bags with alarming regularity. Travelers who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to possible criminal charges from law enforcement and civil penalties from TSA.
The agency noted that many passengers the TSA stopped for trying to take prohibited items onto planes “simply forgot” they were carrying the items.
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People caught with a firearm in a carry-on face arrest and fines between $1,500 and $7,500.
