Odenton Man Faces Weapons Charge After Allegedly Bringing Loaded Gun Into LaGuardia Airport
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- An Odenton man is facing a weapons charge after he allegedly tried to bring a loaded handgun onto a flight departing LaGuardia Airport, the Transportation Security Administration said Monday.
A TSA officer spotted the 9mm gun, which was loaded with eight bullets, as the man's belongings passed through an X-ray machine.
Officers with the Port Authority Police confiscated the gun and questioned the man.
"Last year our TSA officers stopped four guns at our security checkpoints and here it is early March and already two travelers have been caught carrying guns so far this year," said Robert Duffy, TSA's Federal Security Director for the New York City airport.
The Odenton resident, who is not named by the federal agency, faces a weapons charge from Port Authority Police, as well as a federal civil penalty for bringing a gun to an airport security checkpoint.
Those penalties can cost thousands of dollars, authorities said.
"Among the factors TSA considers when determining the civil penalty amount include whether the firearm was loaded and whether there was accessible ammunition," the agency said in a news release.
Guns may be brought onto planes if they are declared to the airline, unloaded and packed in locked, hard-sided case.
"The airline will be sure that the gun travels with checked baggage in the belly of the plane, never in the cabin of the plane," the TSA said.