CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — A Clarence man was stopped from allegedly bringing a loaded handgun onto a flight over the weekend at the Buffalo Niagara Airport.
The man was detained by police after a TSA officer detected the loaded handgun in a carry-on bag at the security checkpoint on Saturday. This was the first gun detected by TSA at the Buffalo Niagara Airport this year.
The .380 caliber gun was allegedly loaded with six bullets, including one in the chamber.
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) Police responded to the call immediately, and the traveler voluntarily surrendered his firearm to the NFTA Police for destruction. The man had a valid New York State pistol permit.
“If you own a firearm and you are planning to take a flight, it is important to know some important facts before you head to the airport,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Upstate New York.
“For starters, the gun needs to be unloaded. It is also important to know that even if you have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow you to bring your gun through a TSA security checkpoint and create a significant safety event.”
If passengers want to travel with a firearm they need to put it in a checked bag and declare it at the airline ticket counter. More information on how to properly travel with a firearm is available on the TSA website.
Bringing a firearm through an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty, which can cost thousands of dollars. This applied to people whether or not they have a concealed carry permit as the permit does not permit someone to carry one on to an airplane.