A Pennsylvania man has been arrested after officers at Newark Airport detected a loaded gun and ammunition in his carry-on bag, the Transportation Security Administration announced Thursday.
The Bensalem man, who has not been identified, was passing through one of the airport’s security checkpoints on Wednesday when screeners intercepted a .380 caliber gun, which was loaded with six bullets, along with 12 additional bullets in two gun magazines.
The man told officials he didn’t realize he had his loaded gun with him — an alleged oversight that turned out to be “a very expensive mistake to make,” according to Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey.
“If you own a firearm, you need to know where it is at all times. That’s a vital part of being a responsible gun owner,” Carter said Thursday in a press release. “Not only was this individual arrested, but he now also faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty that could cost him thousands of dollars.”
The federal penalty for bringing a weapon to a TSA checkpoint could cost travelers as much as $15,000 — even when they have a concealed gun carry permit, according to the agency.
Additionally, travelers enrolled in TSA PreCheck, the agency’s expedited screening program, will also lose their privileges if caught with guns at an airport security checkpoint.
Guns can only be transported on a flight in checked bags and declared to the airline. They also must be “unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container,” according to the TSA.
“The airline will be sure that the gun travels with checked baggage in the belly of the plane, never in the cabin of the plane,” the agency said.
Wednesday’s incident marked the 20th firearm caught at a Newark Airport security checkpoint so far this year, tying last year’s record, officials said.