WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn — A stun gun in a woman's handbag was found last week by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Bradley International Airport, according to a social media post.
The stun gun, a little larger than a flip phone, was found during a security screening on Wednesday. Connecticut State Police responded and confiscated the item.
TSA officials reminded passengers to pack items like this in checked baggage only, not carry-on luggage.
On August 3, TSA officers at Tweed New Haven Airport prevented a man from bringing a loaded handgun onto an airplane. Upon checking the 46-year-old man's backpack, TSA discover a loaded 9mm with a round chamber.
The South Carolina resident stated that he was in a rush and forgot to put the firearm into his checked luggage, according to TSA. This mistake caused the passenger to miss his flight.
As of June, the TSA said the officers found 19 firearms at New England security checkpoints in 2023 - including three at Bradley Airport. In 2022, TSA officers detected a record of 47 firearms at New England security checkpoints.
According to the Transportation Security Administration, officials reserve the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded gun into a checkpoint is $3,000 and can go as high as $15,000 depending on any mitigating circumstances.
This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane.
The complete list of civil penalties can be found here. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter.
Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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