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A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer spotted the .38-caliber revolver – loaded with seven rounds -- as the owner’s belongings passed through the X-ray machine at the Terminal A checkpoint the morning of June 21, the TSA’s Lisa Farbstein said.
The man was taken into custody and the gun seized by Port Authority police.
The incident came just four days after TSA agents at Newark found a traveler from Philadelphia with a semi-automatic handgun in a carry-on bag, Farbstein said (see inset photo above).
“Summer travel season is in full swing and the airport is extremely busy,” said Thomas Carter, the TSA’s federal security director for New Jersey. “Carrying prohibited or illegal items to security checkpoints slows down the security lines for everyone.”
Carter repeated a frequent point made by the TSA about armed travelers: They not only face fines that can run as high as $15,000 -- they also bring that entire security checkpoint area to a dead stop until the gun and the carrier are removed.
This applies to travelers with or without concealed carry permits.
SEE: Civil Penalties For Trying To Carry A Gun Aboard A Plane
Claiming you didn’t know the weapon was there doesn’t wash. It also makes you look irresponsible.
“My best advice is that when you’re ready to pack, start with an empty bag,” Carter said.
This way, he said, “you know with certainty what you’ve got inside and you know that there is nothing prohibited in a side pocket, zippered pouch or just in the bottom of your bag....That goes for backpacks, roller bags, handbags, messenger bags and duffle bags.
“I’m hopeful that this incident serves as a reminder to others who are traveling with a firearm to take a few moments before they come to the airport to refresh their familiarity with the proper procedures on how to pack a gun for a flight,” Carter said.
For the record: Under no circumstances can a civilian airline passenger in the U.S. travel aboard a plane with a firearm.
You can bring them in checked bags if they are properly packaged and declared at the airline ticket counter, the TSA NJ director said.
Guns must be unloaded, placed in a hard-sided locked case and packed separately from ammunition, he said. The locked case must be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.
SEE: TSA Guidelines For Properly Traveling With A Firearm
Small arms ammunition (up to .75 caliber and shotgun shells of any gauge) must be packaged in a box made of fiber (such as cardboard), wood, plastic, or metal specifically designed to carry ammunition. That, too, must be declared.
Travelers cannot use firearm magazines or clips for packing ammunition unless they completely enclose the ammunition. Travelers should check with their airline for ammo quantity limits.
SEE: 'I Forgot,' 'I Didn't Know': Guns, Excuses Piling Up At Newark Airport Checkpoints
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