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The Indiana man was taken into custody after they alerted Port Authority police to the 9mm discovery at a Terminal B security checkpoint, Transportation Security Administration Spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said on Thursday, Nov. 17.
He told officials he'd driven to the area but had to fly home after his vehicle was stolen, Farbstein said.
He "thought it would be okay to travel with a disassembled gun," she said.
Nope.
It was the 12th gun that TSA officers caught travelers trying to carry aboard flights so far this year at Newark.
Last year, the TSA reported, its officers picked off 5,972 guns at security checkpoints nationwide. Of those, 86% were loaded, the agency said.
They're prepared for more, with the busiest travel period of the year about to begin in Friday in advance of Thanksgiving.
"Our officers are focused on our mission to continue to stop weapons from being carried through our security checkpoints,” said Thomas Carter, the TSA's security director for New Jersey.
"Any prohibited item, from a firearm to an oversized liquid, that is detected in a carry-on bag slows down the checkpoint screening process for the travelers whose carry-on bags trigger an alarm for a prohibited item," Carter said. "You do not want to be that person.”
A great many travelers have been in standstill lines that were triggered (no pun intended) by the discovery of an illegal weapon in someone’s carry-on. It’s no fun.
It’s not good for the person who's packin’, either.
“The most common excuses we hear from travelers is that ‘I didn’t know it was in my bag’ or ‘I forgot it was in there’,” Carter said.
That’s not a legitimate excuse, he said.
“Responsible gun owners know where their guns are at all times,” the director said.
SEE: 'I Forgot,' 'I Didn't Know': Guns, Excuses Piling Up At Newark Airport Checkpoints
In addition to criminal charges, there are the fines -- which can exceed $13,000 per violation.
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.
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