COLUMBUS, Ohio — Transportation Security Administration agents confiscated two loaded firearms at John Glenn Columbus International Airport over Labor Day weekend.
In two separate incidents, passengers put their bags through security screening and a TSA agent detected an image of a handgun inside.
Columbus Regional Airport Authority police were notified and took the weapons at the checkpoint.
The first gun was discovered on Sept. 1 around 6:10 a.m. and the gun contained 17 rounds, none chambered. The second incident happened on Sept. 2 around 7:30 a.m. and agents found that the gun was loaded with six rounds, none of which were chambered.
“Summer travel season has been busy, and bringing prohibited or illegal items to our security checkpoints slows down the screening process for everyone until the incident is resolved,” Ohio TSA Federal Security Director Donald Barker said. “If traveling with a firearm, pack it in a locked, hard-sided case and check the bag. Guns are never allowed in carry-on luggage.”
So far this year, TSA has stopped a total of 35 firearms during scans at the Columbus airport.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter. The possession of firearms varies by state and TSA urges travelers to check for firearm laws in the jurisdictions they are flying to and from.
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