Transportation Security Authority (TSA) officers stopped a man from boarding a plane with a loaded gun on December 1, which tied the record for the most guns seized in a single year at Philadelphia International Airport.
The unidentified man had a .40 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets, including one in the chamber, according to TSA.
This was the third gun that they seized in the last five days bringing the total guns seized to 44—the record set in 2022.
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TSA officers caught the man as he entered the security checkpoint. The x-ray unit alerted officers to check his carry-on. The weapon was confiscated, and the man was cited on a weapons charge and faces a stiff financial civil penalty for bringing a gun to a TSA security checkpoint. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach as high as $15,000.
“There is no excuse for bringing a gun to the checkpoint,” Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, said. “Three guns within a five-day span now ties the record for the most guns our officers have stopped in a single year at 44. Keep in mind that we still have a month to go in 2023. This is not the type of record we seek to set.”
To give you an idea, here are the TSA-registered numbers of guns recovered per year at the checkpoints:
- 2017 – 35
- 2018 – 25
- 2019 – 20
- 2020 – 26
- 2021 – 39
- 2022 – 44
- 2023 (as of 12/3/23) – 44
Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to individuals who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint, TSA said.
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“Responsible gun owners know that they cannot carry a gun onto their flight and they know how to properly pack their gun in a checked bag,” Spero said. “Unfortunately, what we are seeing is too many irresponsible gun owners. It’s easy to properly pack a firearm for a flight and of course it starts with ensuring that the gun is not loaded.”
TSA has details on how to travel with a firearm and ammunition posted on its web site.
