A Willow Wood, Ohio, woman was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at West Virginia International Yeager Airport on May 31, with a loaded firearm among her carry-on items. The 9mm handgun was loaded with six bullets.
TSA officers halted the screening process and immediately notified the police, who responded to the checkpoint and confiscated the gun. TSA does not confiscate guns, law enforcement does. Police also cited the woman on a weapons charge.
“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. “If you want to travel with your firearm, all that we ask is that you pack it the right way for a flight. 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 simple.