A West Chester, Pa., man was arrested by police after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Philadelphia International Airport intercepted a handgun among the man’s carry-on items on Monday, December 9. The .38 caliber revolver was loaded with six bullets along with an additional nine bullets for a total of 15 bullets.
The firearm was intercepted when the checkpoint X-ray unit alerted a TSA officer of the gun inside the carry-on bag. Police responded to the checkpoint and confiscated the firearm from the man and arrested him on a weapons charge. The man also faces a stiff Federal financial penalty that is likely to run into the thousands of dollars.
“It is disappointing to continue to see travelers bring their firearms to our checkpoints,” said Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Loaded guns represent a threat because the intention of the traveler is unknown. If you own a firearm, please do not bring it to a checkpoint. If you must travel with your gun, there’s a way to do so. The proper way to do it is to make sure it’s unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case and taken to the airline check-in counter. The airline will ensure it is transported in the belly of the aircraft so that nobody has access to it during a flight.”
The original announcement can be found here.