A local man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport on Monday, March 18, with a loaded gun in his front pants pocket.
As the man, a resident of Buffalo, began the security screening process, he realized that he had his loaded gun in his front right pants pocket. The .380 caliber gun was loaded with eight bullets, including one in the chamber.
TSA officers halted the screening process and immediately notified the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police (NFTA) who responded to the checkpoint and confiscated the gun. TSA does not confiscate guns, law enforcement does.
Guns are not permitted to be carried into or through the security checkpoint and now the man faces a stiff financial civil penalty from TSA. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.
“I would like to acknowledge my appreciation to the TSA officers who acted quickly and to the NFTA police officers who quickly responded to the checkpoint and ensured that the man did not retain control of his loaded gun,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Upstate New York.
“I would also like to express my disappointment in a licensed and trained New York State pistol permit holder who did not have enough self-awareness to remember that he was coming to the airport and that he shouldn’t be carrying his gun on him. Instead, he entered an active security checkpoint with a loaded handgun at his fingertips and created a potentially dangerous situation,” Johnson added.
Passengers are only permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage. Firearms must be unloaded then packed in a hard-sided locked case. The locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and gun owners have a duty to ensure they are not violating any local firearm laws. Additionally, contacting the respective airline could reveal any additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because a concealed carry permit does not allow a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
