Man Arrested With Loaded Gun In Carry-On Bag
DETROIT (WWJ) - A 61-year-old Ohio man is facing weapons charges after he was caught preparing to board a flight to Detroit with a gun in his bag.
Officials with the Transportation Security Administration said the man, identified as James Forcina of Independence, Ohio, was carrying a loaded 380-caliber gun, with a bullet in the chamber, at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
TSA agents called Cleveland Police who took Forcina into custody. The Plain Dealer in Cleveland said Forcina told investigators that he had a concealed carry permit for the gun, according to police reports.
However, Forcina had left the gun in his carry-on bag -- something officials say is happening all too often. Over the course of last week, the TSA reports it found 31 firearms in bags at airports across the country, and 25 of those guns were loaded.
Travelers with the proper permits are allowed to fly with guns packed in checked bags, as long as the firearms are appropriately packaged. Weapons must be unloaded and packed in a hard-sided, locked case, separately from ammunition.
Forcina was scheduled to appear in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Thursday morning.
