TSA finds loaded gun in bag of SkyWest Airlines employee at MSP Airport
MINNEAPOLIS — A security screening at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Thursday prevented an airline employee from bringing a handgun further into the facility.
The Transportation Security Administration said the employee was randomly selected for screening and a TSA officer spotted the handgun during an X-ray. MSP Airport police responded and discovered the gun was loaded.
"Firearms should never be brought to the security checkpoint in carry-on luggage, and airline employees should certainly be aware of that," TSA Federal Security Director for Minnesota Marty Robinson said.
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SkyWest Airlines confirmed Tuesday evening that it was one of their employees, and they are "conducting an internal review of the incident."
Forty-nine guns have been detected at MSP so far in 2023, the TSA said, which is nine short of last year's total.
According to the TSA, travelers can bring 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."
The penalty for a firearm violation at an airport can be as much as a $14,950 fine.