Passenger Caught With Loaded Gun At Westchester County Airport: TSA

HARRISON, NY — A Connecticut man was arrested by police after TSA screeners at Westchester County Airport prevented him from bringing a loaded handgun through the security checkpoint on Monday.

The .45 caliber gun was loaded with seven bullets, according to TSA officials.

The gun was detected among the carry-on items that the Southbury, Connecticut man had in his possession as he entered the TSA checkpoint, according to officials. The X-ray unit alerted on the carry-on bag, which then required a closer inspection. The firearm was removed by a Westchester County police officer, who confiscated the gun and arrested the man on weapons charges.

In addition to being arrested, the man now faces a stiff civil penalty for bringing a gun to a TSA security checkpoint. The penalty for carrying weapons recently increased to a maximum of $15,000.

"The TSA officers at Westchester County Airport perform their jobs exceptionally well and they are very good at detecting prohibited and illegal items that travelers should not have with them," TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, Robert Duffy said. "When dangerous items such as loaded guns are brought to a security checkpoint, it represents both a serious security and safety concern. Guns are not permitted in the cabin of a plane—neither loaded or unloaded ones. Now not only was this man arrested, but he also faces a stiff financial civil penalty from TSA that could set him back thousands of dollars."

This was the first firearm that TSA has detected at the airport so far this year. In 2022, TSA officers stopped four firearms from getting through checkpoints at Westchester County Airport. During the same year, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints nationwide. Eighty-eight percent of those guns were loaded.

Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in checked baggage, but firearms must be unloaded then packed in a hard-sided locked case. The locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.

Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and gun owners have a duty to ensure they are not violating any local firearm laws. The TSA said contacting the respective airline could reveal any additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.

Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can reach thousands of dollars, depending on the circumstances. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because a concealed carry permit does not allow a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. In addition, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

The free myTSA app has a handy “What can I bring?” feature that allows passengers to type in the item to find out if it can fly. Or flyers can ask on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA and travelers may send a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872).