Mitchell officers find 2 loaded guns in bags
Transportation Security Administration officers on Saturday stopped two passengers from carrying loaded firearms onto airplanes at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.
The gun discoveries were not related, according to the agency. The first occurred just after 5 a.m. Saturday and the second occurred later in the day.
It was the third time this year that a gun has been detected in carry-on bags screened at Mitchell’s security checkpoints.
In Saturday’s first discovery, a TSA officer detected a loaded .380 semi-automatic pistol which was loaded with a bullet in the gun’s chamber.
“TSA officers immediately alerted the Milwaukee County Sheriff ’s Office ...” according to a statement from the TSA. “The male passenger surrendered the firearm and was cited for bringing a gun to a security checkpoint.”
Milwaukee Mitchell is owned and operated by Milwaukee County, and the sheriff’s office is the local law enforcement agency responsible for policing the airport.
Later Saturday, TSA officers again detected a loaded firearm, this time in a woman’s carry-on bag during security screening.
The Sheriff ’s Office was contacted and again responded, confiscated the pistol and cited the woman for carrying a concealed weapon.
The other gun discovery this year occurred Jan. 31 when a TSA officer using an X-ray machine spotted a gun in a passenger’s carry-on bag .
“Our TSA officers continue to remain vigilant in performing their security duties during this pandemic,” said Mark Lendvay, TSA’s federal security director for Wisconsin. “I strongly urge any gun owner to ensure they know where their firearm is before traveling to the airport.”
A total of 11 guns were detected at security checkpoints in 2020.
In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic cut U.S. air travel by nearly two-thirds, the TSA on average confiscated 12 guns a day at checkpoints across the nation’s commercial air travel system.
“TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint,” the agency said in a statement. “A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100 and can go as high as $13,669 depending on any mitigating circumstances.”
The penalties apply to anyone who brings a gun to a checkpoint, with or without concealed gun carry permits. “Even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane,” according to the TSA.
If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter.
Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.