‘Serious security violation.’ Loaded gun found at State College Regional Airport by TSA
An unnamed Pennsylvania man was caught Monday with a loaded 9mm handgun in his backpack as he entered the security checkpoint at the State College Regional Airport.
The firearm was loaded with nine bullets, including one in the chamber, the Transportation Security Administration wrote in a statement released Tuesday. The federal agency said they were alerted to the weapon by the airport’s X-ray unit.
The Luzerne County man was allowed to return his gun to his vehicle, the agency wrote. It’s unclear if any criminal charges were or will be filed; a message was left Tuesday with Penn State police.
But TSA said the man faces a “stiff financial penalty,” which can reach a maximum of $15,000 for carrying weapons. It was the first gun caught at the airport since 2020.
“Bringing loaded guns to checkpoints is a serious security violation and this individual can expect to receive a federal fine that will be in the thousands of dollars,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “It’s been 23 years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and people should know by now that they cannot bring firearms or any weapons through our checkpoints.”
Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided, locked case. The case should then be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.
Nationwide, nearly 6,750 firearms were detected at airport security checkpoints last year. That was an about 3% increase over 2022, which TSA described as “significant.” About 93% of firearms caught in 2023 were loaded, according to data provided by TSA.