Don’t Fly With Your Gun

Don’t Fly With Your Gun

It is a well-known fact, and has been for several years, you don’t take a handgun on an airplane. Yet, people continue to pack a weapon in their carry-on luggage as though it is perfectly fine. You don’t even have to reach the fine print. Handguns now allowed on airplanes.

In Orlando, on June 12, TSA officers stopped 12 guns during the previous nine days at multiple airports across Florida. The guns were intercepted at security checkpoints in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Panama City, Destin-Ft. Walton Beach, Ft. Myers and Pensacola. As passenger volumes have increased, so have the numbers of passengers failing to leave their guns at home. Each of the guns was accompanied by ammunition; most were loaded.

Nine men and three women, aged 22 to 45, face a civil penalty from the TSA that may exceed $13,000, regardless of whether they were arrested by local police. Several of them were arrested. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has stopped 147 guns this year across the state of Florida.

A Jackson County, W.Va., woman was stopped by TSA officers at Huntington Tri-State Airport on Saturday, June 13, when they detected a 9 mm handgun in her carry-on bag. It was not loaded. TSA officials notified the local police, who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the gun and detained the woman, a resident of Cottageville, W.Va., for questioning prior to citing her on weapons charges.

“There may be a pandemic, but our TSA officers remain vigilant in their duties,” said John Allen, TSA’s Federal Security Director for West Virginia. “During this pandemic, we are doing what we can to reduce touch-points to help prevent any cross-contamination, but when someone has a prohibited item in their carry-on bag, it means that our TSA officers are going to have to open that bag and go inside to remove it, thus creating additional touch-points.”

“Forgetting” you have a weapon in your carryon luggage isn’t confined to older travelers. A 17-year-old New Jersey resident was arrested by police after TSA officers at Philadelphia International Airport detected a 9 mm handgun loaded with 11 bullets, including one in the chamber, in his carry-on bag on Thursday, June 11.

The gun was spotted by a TSA officer when it appeared on the checkpoint X-ray monitor. It was located in a book bag. TSA contacted the Philadelphia Police, which responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the firearm and detained the young man, a resident of Newark, N.J., for questioning before arresting him on a weapons violation. The minor was traveling with his parents and his father accompanied him to the police station.

The youth told officials that he took the book bag from his ex-girlfriend’s car and said he did not realize that the gun was in the bag.

A New Hampshire, man was caught with a .45 caliber handgun loaded with eight bullets, including one in the chamber at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on June 7. The gun was spotted at the airport’s checkpoint X-ray monitor. It was the second gun caught at the airport this year. Last year TSA officers stopped one gun at the airport checkpoint.

As a reminder, individuals who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to possible criminal charges from law enforcement. Even travelers with concealed firearm permits are not allowed to bring guns onto airplanes. In addition, TSA has the authority to assess financial civil penalties for weapons.

TSA press releases report numerous handgun catches every week. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Airlines may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition. Travelers should also contact their airline regarding firearm and ammunition carriage policies.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.