Latest Yardley man detained with firearm at PHL checkpoint

The Transportation Security Administration at Philadelphia International Airport said it intercepted a handgun at one of the security checkpoints on Thursday.

The 9mm handgun was not loaded, however, it contained five bullets accessible in an adjacent weapons magazine, the agency said. The firearm was intercepted when the checkpoint’s x-ray unit alerted a TSA officer to the weapon inside the carry-on bag.

Police responded to the checkpoint and confiscated the firearm from the man, a resident of Yardley, Bucks County.

“When someone brings a loaded gun to one of our checkpoints, it is a risk to everyone at the airport,” Gerardo Spero, TSA federal security director for the airport, said in a news release. “Firearms represent a threat because the traveler’s intention is unknown. If you own a firearm, do not bring it to a checkpoint. If you must travel with your gun, the proper way to do so is to make sure it is unloaded, packed in a locked hard case, and taken to the airline check-in counter. The airline will ensure that it is transported in the belly of the plane.”

“Passengers are responsible for the contents of their carry-on luggage,” he added. “This individual can expect TSA to impose a very costly federal civil penalty for his careless actions. That’s an expensive lesson to learn. Hopefully other gun owners learn from their mistake.”

The TSA has details about how to travel with a firearm and ammunition posted on its website.

Bringing a gun into an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to impose a civil penalty on people who have weapons and gun parts with them at a checkpoint.

Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can run into the thousands of dollars, depending on extenuating circumstances. This applies to people with or without concealed weapons permits because a concealed weapons permit does not allow carrying a firearm through a checkpoint.

The full list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a weapon is a TSA PreCheck member, that person will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

Not sure if an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, one, or neither? Download the free myTSA app, which has a handy “What can I bring?” feature that allows you to type the item to find out if it can fly. Or ask on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA. Travelers can submit a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872).