TSA officers intercept loaded gun at LaGuardia Airport

NEW YORK - A Suffolk County, N.Y., man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at LaGuardia Airport on Thursday, September 5, when they detected a loaded gun in the man's carry-on bag. The 9mm handgun was loaded with nine bullets, including one in the chamber.

When the carry-on bag was identified by TSA as possibly containing a firearm, it was automatically diverted to a different conveyor belt to be held for law enforcement to remove and inspect. Police allowed the man, a resident of Halesite, N.Y., to return the firearm to his vehicle. He now faces a stiff financial civil penalty. Civil penalties for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.

It was the ninth firearm that TSA officers have detected at the airport checkpoints so far this year.

"Here it is less than one week from the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our nation and it should be obvious to all travelers-especially those in the New York region--that no weapons are permitted through our security checkpoints and onto a flight. Travelers are responsible for the contents of their carry-on bags, to ensure that they have no prohibited or illegal items inside," said Robert Duffy, TSA's Federal Security Director for the airport. "It does not matter to us if someone has a concealed carry permit because regardless of that fact, it is never permissible to carry a firearm into the cabin of a plane."

TSA firearms catches at LaGuardia Airport checkpoints, 2018 to 2024

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case. Then 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.

Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and individuals who want to travel with their gun should do their homework to make sure that they are not violating any local firearm laws. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.

Unsure if an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither? Download the free myTSA app, which has a handy "What can I bring?" feature that allows you to type in the item to find out if it can fly. Or ask on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA. Travelers may send a question by texting "Travel" to AskTSA (275-872).