Transportation Security Administration officers prevented a New York City man from bringing a gun onto his flight at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The 9mm handgun was loaded with 12 bullets.
When TSA officers intercepted the firearm, they notified the Port Authority Police who responded to the checkpoint, where they confiscated the gun and arrested the man on a weapons charge. He also faces a Federal civil penalty for bringing a loaded firearm to a TSA checkpoint. The Federal penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.
“Bringing a gun to an airport security checkpoint is strictly prohibited,” said John Essig, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Loaded guns are deadly weapons and present a threat and this man introduced a threat to our checkpoint area. People who own firearms need to be more cognizant of where and when they are carrying their weapon. It is no secret that guns cannot be carried onto an aircraft. If you own a firearm, it is critically important that you always know where it is, and you know that it is not among the items in your carry-on bag when you come to an airport. That is part of being a responsible gun owner.”
The original announcement can be found here.