WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — A loaded gun with 20 rounds was seized at a TSA checkpoint at Bradley International Airport on Monday, officials said.
The TSA detected the firearm in a passenger's carry-on bag during a security screening. Connecticut station police were notified, and they found a loaded 9mm firearm with a chambered round, as well as 2 ammo clips with a total of 20 rounds.
Connecticut State Police arrested a 40-year-old Connecticut woman on a state charge following questioning.
“Our TSA officers once again are on top of ensuring firearms stay out aircraft cabins,” said William Csontos, TSA Federal Security Director for Connecticut in a statement. “Loaded firearms at TSA security checkpoints present an unacceptable safety and security risk to other passengers.”
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.
So far, TSA said the officers have found 19 firearms at New England security checkpoints in 2023 - including 3 at Bradley Airport. In 2022, TSA officers detected a record of 47 firearms at New England security checkpoints.
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.
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