The TSA said a traveler brought his firearm to a checkpoint at Philadelphia International Airport on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
The Transportation Security Administration said a record number of guns have been caught at Philadelphia International Airport this year after TSA agents stopped a traveler with a handgun on Tuesday.
The Philadelphia resident was stopped after his 9mm handgun, among his carry-on items, showed up on the security checkpoint X-ray monitor. The TSA said it was the 41st gun caught so far in 2022, which is a new record for PHL in a single year.
Philadelphia police allowed the unnamed man to return to the airline counter to declare and check the gun so that it could be transported in the bottom of the airplane, TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said in a release.
“This individual had the proper paperwork and carrying case for his firearm, but he made a big mistake when he brought it to the security checkpoint…” said Gerardo Spero, the TSA’s Federal Security Director for PHL.
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The agency forwarded the Nov. 29 incident to be followed up with the issuance of a federal financial civil penalty, according to Farbstein. The TSA says they reserve the right to issue a “stiff” penalty to those who bring weapons to a checkpoint, which can stretch into thousands of dollars.
Checked firearms must also be unloaded, placed in a hard-sided case, locked and packed separately from ammunition.
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TSA officers detected 5,972 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints nationwide last year. They say about 86% of the guns caught by TSA in 2021 were loaded.
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