A Barboursville, W.Va., man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Huntington Tri-State Airport today (December 3) with a firearm in his carry-on bag. The firearm was loaded with six bullets.
TSA officers halted the screening process and immediately notified the police, who responded to the checkpoint, took possession of the firearm and cited the man.
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.
“It is disappointing to see travelers continue to bring their firearms to our checkpoints instead of properly packing them for a flight,” said John C. Allen TSA’s Federal Security Director for West Virginia. “This was the third firearm that our team has intercepted at the airport so far this year. If you want to travel with your firearm, all that we ask is that you pack it the right way for a flight. It is a fairly simple process. For starters, it needs to be unloaded. Pack the unloaded gun in a hard-sided locked case. Take the case to the airline check-in counter and declare that you want to fly with it. The airline will make sure it is transported to your destination in the belly of the plane so that nobody has access to it during the flight. It really is that easy.”
The original announcement can be found here.