BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Williamsville man was stopped by TSA officers at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport on Tuesday, Nov. 12 after officers allegedly found a gun among the man's carry-on items. TSA officials said they recovered a 9mm handgun loaded with 11 bullets, including one in the chamber.
Officials say an alarm was triggered during the checkpoint X-ray screening due to the gun in the carry-on bag. Once TSA officers viewed the X-ray image and saw the firearm, they stopped the screening process and notified the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police (NFTA). NFTA then confiscated the gun and detained the man for questioning.
The man had a valid New York State pistol permit and was cited with a Notice of Violation on a weapons charge. He also faces a financial civility penalty from TSA. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000. The man was later allowed to leave the airport with his firearm.
“I would like to acknowledge my appreciation to the TSA officers who took quick action and to the NFTA police officers who responded to the checkpoint and ensured that the man did not retain control of his loaded gun,” TSA’s Federal Security Director for Upstate New York Bart R. Johnson said. “Bringing a loaded firearm to a checkpoint represents a threat and potentially dangerous situation to everyone in the vicinity... I hope that others learn from this traveler’s mistake.”
Passengers are only allowed to travel with firearms in checked baggage and they need to be unloaded then packed in a hard-sided locked case. 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.
As of Nov. 12, 2024, there has been a total of four guns intercepted at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. 2023 reported seven guns intercepted and five were intercepted in 2022.
