Yonkers Man Brings Loaded Gun To JFK Airport, TSA Says

QUEENS, NY — A Yonkers man brought a loaded gun into New York City's international airport, the Transportation Security Administration announced Thursday morning.

Security officers spotted the 9mm handgun — with seven bullets in the chamber — in an X-ray machine at John F. Kennedy Airport on Wednesday, according to the TSA.

This was the second time in 2022 that a gun was found at a TSA checkpoint, according to the agency, and occurred just weeks after the Supreme Court weakened gun laws in New York.

The TSA officers alerted the Port Authority Police Department whose cops confiscated the 9mm handgun and arrested the man on a weapons charge, the agency said.

The Yonkers man could now face a stiff federal civil penalty that could run in the thousands, said the agency.

Patch reached out to the PAPD, but the police department was not available at the time of publication.

Civil penalties are determined based on whether the gun was loaded and an individual’s accessibility to ammunition. The penalties also apply to both travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits, according to TSA.

The TSA said that guns and replica guns can be transported via flight only if they are unloaded and packed in a locked, hard-side case and declared beforehand at an airline ticket counter along with any ammunition as well as firearm parts, at which point the airline will make sure it travel with checked baggage in the belly of the plane, not the cabin, according to the agency.

Trusted Traveler and TSA PreCheck benefits will be revoked for a period of time for individuals who violate the rules, TSA said.

News of the arrest came just hours before Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell are set to hold a Queens Criminal Court press conference about a gun smuggling ring with suspects from Queens, the Bronx and Tennessee.

The five individuals have an 1,161-count grand jury indictment for illegally selling guns purchased down South in the Empire State, said Katz’s Office.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York lawmakers passed sweeping gun control legislation in June in anticipation of the Supreme Court striking down an 108-year law that restricted who can get a gun permit and released text from a gun safety bill in July that said that Times Square, public transit, schools, parks and places of worship will be gun-free zones.

The TSA said that if people have travel questions about weapons or other items they should go the “Can I Bring?” feature on the TSA website, use the free downloadable myTSA app, or message the agency on Twitter “@AskTSA.” Individuals could also snap a picture toget real-time assistance on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.