COLUMBUS, Ohio — Officers with the Transportation Security Administration on Friday prevented a loaded handgun from making its way onto an airplane at John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
Around 6 a.m., TSA officials alerted Columbus Regional Airport Authority Police about the firearm that was loaded with seven rounds.
The passenger told officers that they forgot the gun was in the bag. Officers confiscated the weapon and cited the passenger.
This is the second firearm that was stopped at the Columbus airport in less than a week, according to TSA. Officers detected a gun in a passenger's carry-on bag last Saturday.
“With summer travel ramping up, our TSA Officers continue to do a fantastic job preventing firearms from entering the secure area of the airport,” said Ohio TSA Federal Security Director Donald Barker. “Let me be clear: Guns are never allowed in carry-on luggage. Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint can have serious consequences and endangers other passengers.”
This is the 22nds firearm detected at John Glenn Columbus International Airport this year. Last year, officers detected 33 firearms at the airport's security checkpoints.
TSA issues civil penalties to travelers who bring guns to a checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100.
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.
