Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport intercepted a loaded .40 caliber handgun along with a total of 20 bullets in two gun magazines at the airport checkpoint yesterday, Thursday, May 30.
It was the first firearm that TSA officers have detected at the airport checkpoint this year.
The weapon was caught as the man, a resident of Georgia, entered the security checkpoint. The X-ray unit alerted on the firearm among his carry-on items. TSA officials notified the police who confiscated the gun. Law enforcement officers confiscate guns, not TSA officials.
This individual now faces a stiff financial civil penalty. Civil penalties for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.
“Bringing guns to checkpoints is a serious security violation and this individual can expect to receive a federal fine that will be in the thousands of dollars,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport.