TSA: Fairfield man tried to bring loaded gun on plane
A Connecticut man was arrested after he tried to bring a loaded handgun in his carry-on for a flight at Westchester County Airport in New York earlier this week, officials said.
The TSA said an officer saw the loaded .40-caliber handgun on a checkpoint X-ray machine’s monitor as the man’s belongings went through the unit.
Westchester County police said shortly before 6 a.m. Tuesday, a TSA supervisor at Westchester County Airport alerted the agency that TSA staff found a gun in a carry-on bag being screened at a checkpoint for a flight headed to Charlotte, N.C.
An officer saw the gun on the monitor and identified the passenger the bag belonged to. The officer then placed him under arrest.
Frank Klein, 59, of Congress Street in Fairfield, was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon — a misdemeanor. Westchester County police said Klein does not have a valid pistol permit for the weapon in New York or Connecticut. The gun was seized.
Klein was booked at Westchester County police headquarters in Hawthorne, N.Y., and released on a desk appearance ticket. He’s expected in court in Rye, N.Y., on April 20.
He also faces a federal civil penalty for bringing a gun to an airport security checkpoint.
“Our officers are good at preventing prohibited items and deadly weapons from getting past the checkpoints and people who try to bring a gun onto a flight will pay a stiff price,” said Robert Duffy, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, in a statement. “I can assure you that the civil penalty will be costly. If you own a firearm, pack it correctly for transport in checked baggage or leave it at home.”
Guns can be transported on a flight if they are unloaded and packed in a locked, hard-sided case. The gun, as well as any ammunition or gun parts, must be declared to the airline during the check-in process at the ticket counter. Guns travel with checked baggage in the belly of planes, TSA said, adding that firearms are never stored in the cabin of the plane.
Replica guns are also prohibited in carry-on luggage and must be transported in checked baggage.
Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can reach thousands of dollars, TSA said. The penalty varies depending on the circumstances of each incident, including whether the gun was loaded and whether there was accessible ammunition. These penalities apply to travelers whether or not they possess a concealed gun carry permit, TSA said.
Any individual that violates rules about traveling with guns can have “Trusted Traveler” status and TSA PreCheck benefits revoked, TSA said.
Information related to the transportation of guns and ammunition can be found on the TSA website. A full list of what can be brought on planes can also be found on the TSA site.