TSA turns back guns at BWI, Reagan National checkpoints

BALTIMORE - A Maryland man was arrested after he was caught with a stolen gun at Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Thurgood Marshall Airport last Thursday, reports CBS Baltimore.

Airport police say TSA officers caught the man trying to sneak the weapon past a security checkpoint.

TSA officers detected the 9mm loaded handgun with 10 rounds of ammunition in the man's carry-on bag as it passed along the conveyor belt, reports the station.

The Upper Marlboro, Md. man was trying to fly to Detroit.

TSA officers contacted the Maryland Transportation Authority Police who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the firearm and arrested the man. A check on the firearm determined it had been reported as stolen in Portland, Ore., according to the station.

This is reportedly the fifth gun that TSA officers have detected at a BWI checkpoint this year.

Also on Thursday, TSA officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport detected a gun in a passenger's carry-on bag at a security checkpoint. That marked the 11th gun stopped at a Reagan National checkpoint this year.

Passengers who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to criminal charges from law enforcement and civil penalties from TSA up to $11,000, reports CBS Baltimore.

Firearms, firearm parts and ammunition are not permitted in carry-on bags, but can be transported in checked bags if they are unloaded, properly packed and declared to the airline.