NORFOLK Va. (WAVY) — A man from Gaffney, South Carolina was caught having a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag by TSA security at Norfolk International Airport on Saturday.
According to a TSA news release, an X-ray monitor detected a .38 caliber handgun loaded with six bullet in the man’s bag.
TSA officials then notified the airport police, who responded to the checkpoint confiscated the handgun.
TSA said in the release that this was the eleventh time TSA officers have found a gun in carry-on luggage at the airport this year. In 2018, TSA officers stopped 21 guns detected at the airport’s checkpoints.
People who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to possible criminal charges from law enforcement. Even travelers with have firearm permits are not allowed to bring guns onto airplanes in their carry-on bags.
Passengers are asked to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality.
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
