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LYNCHBURG, Va.-- A man from Alabama, was cited by police after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers prevented him from carrying a loaded handgun onto his flight yesterday (July 21), at Lynchburg Regional Airport. The 9mm handgun was loaded with 17 bullets.

A TSA officer who was staffing the checkpoint X-ray monitor spotted the weapon as it entered the checkpoint X-ray machine. TSA alerted the police who confiscated the handgun and cited the man on weapons charges. He also faces a federal financial civil citation.

“It’s the second firearm that our TSA officers have detected at the airport so far this year,” said Robin “Chuck” Burke, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter.  Guns on their person or accessible in their carry-on property are illegal and when detected at the screening checkpoint will result in a significant fine and potential criminal charges filed on the passenger. Security checkpoints and weapons don’t mix.”

To transport a gun, it must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case, and packed separately from ammunition. Then the locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.

Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and passengers should do their homework to make sure that they are not violating any local firearm laws. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.

Last year TSA officers detected 5,972 guns at security checkpoints nationwide and 86 percent of them were loaded.