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The Bethlehem, PA traveler was nabbed after the weapon was spotted going through an X-ray scanner at a Terminal C security checkpoint on Sunday, Jan. 29, the Transportation Security Administration’s Lisa Farbstein said.
Port Authority police took him into custody.
Whenever the TSA catches a traveler with a gun at a checkpoint, the entire lane comes to a standstill until the incident is resolved, Farbstein noted.
That can delay – and even prevent – others from reaching their gates in time for their flights, she said.
“Individuals who want to bring their guns with them when they fly need to pack them properly in their checked luggage, and declare them at their airline check-in counter to be transported in the belly of the plane where nobody has access to firearms during a flight,” said Thomas Carter, the TSA’s federal security director for New Jersey.
Newark Liberty International Airport last year had the dubious distinction of recording the most gun seizures by TSA officers of any hub in the New York metropolitan area, the agency reported.
It also marked the fifth straight year that the airport had more checkpoint gun seizures than its regional counterparts.
Besides possible criminal prosecution, attempts to carry guns aboard commercial flights can bring fines of up to $15,000 per violation, the TSA warns. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits.
SEE: Civil Penalties For Trying To Carry A Gun Aboard A Plane
Passengers can travel with firearms in checked bags if they are properly packaged and declared at the airline ticket counter.
Guns must be unloaded, placed in a hard-sided locked case and packed separately from ammunition. Then 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 fiber (such as cardboard), wood, plastic, or metal box specifically designed to carry ammunition and declared to your airline.
Ammunition may be transported in the same hard-sided, locked case as a firearm if it has been packed as described above.
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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