TSA Officers Find Loaded Handgun In Carry-On Bag At Logan Airport
BOSTON (CBS) — TSA officers at Logan Airport stopped a New Hampshire man at a security checkpoint Monday after they discovered a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag.
According to the TSA, when the passenger's bag went through the x-ray machine, officers found a 9-millimeter handgun with seven rounds and immediately contacted Massachusetts State Police.
State Police said the man possessed the gun legally and was not charged with a crime or arrested. The man was allowed to book a different flight.
Travelers are not allowed to bring guns in their carry-on bags, but may travel with them in checked bags if they are stored unloaded in a hard-shell suitcase, packed separately from ammunition and declared to the airline.
TSA officers at Logan Airport have stopped passengers from bringing guns on their flight 13 times so far this year, said a statement, compared to the 21 firearms discovered last year and 14 the year before.
Passengers who attempt to bring guns in their carry-on bag can be criminally charged.
Across the country, TSA officers found 4,239 guns in carry-on bags at checkpoints last year, about 12 guns per day. Most of the guns were loaded and about a third had a bullet in the chamber, the TSA said.