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The unidentified Hummelstown man was stopped at an x-ray machine while going through a checkpoint X-ray machine at Harrisburg International Airport on Jan. 22, TSA officials report.
The gun was a .22 caliber revolver loaded with six bullets, which was confiscated and the man was cited on weapons violations, according to the release. TSA forwarded the incident to be followed up with the issuance of a federal financial civil penalty.
“It is always disappointing when we see travelers who are carrying loaded weapons to our security checkpoints,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Travelers should know better. Guns have been prohibited from being carried onto planes for decades before TSA even existed. So it should be no surprise when someone is stopped at our checkpoint, has their weapon confiscated by police, is charged by the police and then heavily fined by (the) TSA.”
TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty of up to $13,900 to individuals who bring weapons with them to a checkpoint.
Travelers are allowed to transport their firearms as checked baggage if they are properly packed and declared at their airline ticket counter to be transported in the belly of the plane with checked baggage.
Checked firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and travelers should check into firearm laws before they decide to travel with their guns. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
When an individual shows up at a checkpoint with a firearm, the checkpoint lane comes to a standstill until the police resolve the incident. Guns at checkpoints can delay travelers from getting to their gates.
Nationwide, TSA officers detected 5,972 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints last year. Of the guns caught by TSA in 2022, about 86 percent were loaded.
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