TSA Recovers Another Handgun AT BWI Airport

LINTHICUM, MD. – Transportation Security Administration officers at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport stopped a man with a handgun Tuesday, marking the 19th firearm recovered at BWI this year, according to the federal agency. The unidentified man was found to have his .38-caliber handgun, along with a magazine loaded with five bullets, in his carry-on bag.

A TSA officer detected the pistol when the man’s carry-on luggage entered the X-ray machine at a TSA checkpoint, the agency said.

TSA officers contacted the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, who went to the checkpoint, confiscated the gun and ammunition, and arrested the man on weapons charges.

"The man claimed he did not know his gun was in his bag," the TSA said in a statement.

The agency says this summer at BWI is turning out to be one of the busiest in its history. Last year, TSA officers detected 26 firearms at BWI’s checkpoints. In 2016, they recovered 24.

Detecting firearms carried by airline passengers means that other passengers get delayed in catching their flights, the TSA says.

"When someone brings a firearm to a checkpoint, it closes the checkpoint lane until the situation can be resolved, thus forcing the other travelers to shift into another lane and delaying their passage through the checkpoint," the agency said in the statement.

Travelers who bring firearms to TSA checkpoints are subject to criminal charges. Even travelers with firearm permits are not allowed to bring guns onto airplanes.

In addition, the TSA has the authority to assess civil penalties of up to $13,000 for weapons violations. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $3,900. The complete list of penalties is posted online here.

The TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website here. Airlines may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition; passengers should contact their airline.

Image: TSA officers prevented a man from bringing this handgun and bullets onto an airplane Tuesday at BWI Airport (Photo courtesy of U.S. Transportation Security Administration).