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The North Carolina resident had 10 bullets in the 9mm handgun flagged by a Transportation Security Administration officer as it passed through an X-ray machine at a LaGuardia Airport security checkpoint, the TSA said.
“That’s no excuse," said Robert Duffy, the TSA federal security director at the Queens airport. "Responsible gun owners know where their firearm is at all times."
Officers immediately alerted Port Authority police, who seized the gun and the traveler.
In addition to weapons charges, he faces a federal civil penalty that "could possibly cost him thousands of dollars," Duffy said.
Guns can be transported on a flight ONLY if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and declared to the airline.
The airline will be sure that the gun travels with checked baggage in the belly of the plane, never in the cabin of the plane, the TSA promises.
The same goes for replica firearms.
The TSA's Lisa Farbstein noted that the agency has resources to try and help people avoid such trouble.
One is a webpage called "What Can I Bring?"
You can also download the TSA App from Google Play or the App Store.
OR: You can tweet or message “@AskTSA” if you're unsure whether an item is allowed through security in a carry-on bag. Just snap a picture or send a question and get real-time assistance weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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