Gun, bullets and pocket knife found in 86-year-old's carry-on at Logan Airport
BOSTON - Airport security stopped an 86-year-old man from taking a gun, bullets and pocket knife with him onto a plane in Boston on Saturday, the Transportation Security Administration said.
A TSA security screening detected the unloaded .38 pistol, as well as the five rounds and the pocketknife, in the New Hampshire man's carry-on.
Massachusetts State Police questioned the man and confiscated the gun before letting him continue with his trip. He told troopers he meant to check the weapon, the TSA said.
This is the first time officers have detected a gun at Logan security in 2024. Last there, there were 18 guns found at security checkpoints.
"I strongly urge all gun owners to ensure they know where their firearm is before traveling to the airport," TSA federal security director for Massachusetts Bob Alliston said in a statement.
Violators can face a $3,000 fine the first time they are found to have a gun and gun parts at security. Unloaded firearms can only be packed as checked baggage inside a locked hard-sided container, the TSA website says.
The TSA found a record number of guns at airports across the country last year. The discovery of 6,737 guns was the highest total since the agency was created in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.