Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers intercepted a loaded firearm at Syracuse Hancock International Airport that was detected among a traveler’s carry-on items at the checkpoint on Friday, Feb. 7. The 9mm caliber handgun was loaded with 17 bullets, including one in the chamber.
TSA officers notified the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority Police who confiscated the firearm and detained the man, a resident of Syracuse, for questioning. He was later released to rebook his flight. He now faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty for carrying a firearm to a checkpoint that is likely to cost him thousands of dollars.
“I would like to commend the actions of the officers in detecting a loaded firearm in carry-on luggage. They did a wonderful job,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Upstate New York. “I would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority Police who immediately confiscated the weapon for safe keeping. The actions of this passenger placed the safety and security of the entire checkpoint at risk through their own carelessness.”
The original announcement can be found here.