Philadelphia man arrested after TSA stops him with loaded gun at JFK Airport: police
QUEENS. N.Y. - A Philadelphia man was arrested by police at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on Sunday after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers found a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag.
According to officials, TSA detected a loaded handgun in a man’s carry-on bag as he entered the security checkpoint. Officials say the man had a 9mm handgun that was loaded with 12 bullets and packed alongside two other gun magazines with 24 additional bullets.
TSA notified Port Authority Police who then arrested the Philadelphian on weapons charges and confiscated the firearm and ammunition, they say.
The man also faces a federal financial penalty which can reach as high as $15,000 for bringing a weapon to an airport checkpoint.
"There is no excuse for bringing a gun to our checkpoints," said John Essig, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. "The only way to fly with your firearm is to ensure it is unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case and taken to the airline check-in counter and declared. The airline will make sure it is transported in the belly of the aircraft so that nobody has access to it during a flight."
Essing explained that JFK is experiencing heavy travel volume of nearly 100,000 passengers per day.
Man caught with gun for second time at Philadelphia International Airport: officials
Two men tried to bring guns onto their flights at Philadelphia International Airport this weekend, a second offense for one of them, according to officials.
This incident marked the ninth firearm that TSA officers detected so far in 2023. This year TSA officers have stopped more than 5,000 guns at checkpoints across the country.
The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. If an individual with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
TSA reminds passengers and airport employees to always know the contents of their carry-on bag prior to coming to the security checkpoint. TSA has multiple resources available to passengers to help them determine whether an item is permitted in carry-on baggage, checked baggage, either or neither. Travelers can use the "Can I Bring?" feature on the TSA website or on the free downloadable myTSA app.