Two different men were found carrying guns – including one that was loaded – at Philadelphia International Airport over the weekend, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced.
Investigators said a Philadelphia man was caught by TSA officers on Saturday with a 9mm gun in his gym bag. The gun was loaded with 21 bullets, including one in the chamber, according to investigators.
Officials said it was the second gun offense for the man who had been previously caught with his gun packed incorrectly at the airport. He once again faces Federal financial civil penalties as well as a citation by Tinicum Township Police, officials said.
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Also on Saturday, a man from Souderton, Pennsylvania, was caught at Philadelphia International Airport with a .38 caliber handgun inside his carry-on bag. That man was cited by the Tinicum Police Department and will face a Federal financial civil penalty, the TSA said.
Police said both men were caught after entering a security checkpoint when X-ray units were alerted on their carry-on bags. Both weapons were confiscated by police.
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“There is no excuse for bringing a gun to our checkpoints,” Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, said. “The only way to fly with your firearm is to ensure it is unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case and taken to the airline check-in counter and declared. The airline will make sure it is transported in the belly of the aircraft so that nobody has access to it during a flight. The fact that this is the second gun-related offense by one of the two individuals who was caught on Saturday is absolutely unacceptable. Getting caught one time is one thing, but not learning a lesson from that experience is just unforgivable.”
According to officials, 40 guns have been found at TSA checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport this year as of Oct. 29, already surpassing the number of confiscated firearms in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 and only four below the total number found in 2022.
“It is disappointing to continue to see the frequency in which travelers are bringing their guns to our checkpoints,” Spero said. “The guns caught this past weekend brings our annual total to 40 guns and we still have two full months to go in the calendar year.”
Anyone who brings a gun to an airport checkpoint could face a Federal civil penalty, according to the TSA. The penalty is applicable to people with or without a concealed gun carry permit, the TSA says. A concealed carry permit does not allow a firearm to be carried through a checkpoint.
