CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — TSA officers at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport say they discovered a loaded handgun in a passenger's carry-on bag Friday.
Officials say the passenger, a man from Wyoming County, had a .32 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets, including one in the chamber, in his bag.
The gun was discovered by a TSA officer on the X-ray monitor as the bag went through security. NFTA Police were called and took possession of the gun.
“If you own a firearm and want to travel with it, we ask that you do so in the safest way possible,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Upstate New York. “That means making sure the gun is unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided case and declared with the airline. The airline representative will make sure that the firearm is transported securely in the belly of the aircraft.”
The man was cited by officers.
The TSA can issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns at security checkpoints. A first offense fine is $4,100 and could go as high as $13,669.
