CLEVELAND — Officers from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stopped a man from carrying a loaded 9mm handgun onto an airplane at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on Tuesday morning.
According to a release from the TSA, an officer detected the gun in the man's carry-on bag at approximately 10:30 a.m. TSA officials immediately alerted the Cleveland Division of Police, who responded and removed the passenger and weapon away from the checkpoint.
Tuesday's incident marks the 11th firearm detected by the TSA at Hopkins Airport this year. A total of 26 were detected at Hopkins security checkpoints last year.
“Our highly trained TSA officers continue to conduct thorough screenings of passengers during this pandemic and will continue to intercept firearms and prohibited items brought to the airport security checkpoints,” said Don Barker, TSA Federal Security Director for Ohio. “We remain committed to the safety and security of all travelers and crew members, and I strongly remind everyone to know the whereabouts of their firearms at all times.”
TSA says it reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns with them at a checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100. The complete list of civil penalties is on the TSA website. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck™, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck™ privileges for a period of time.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter.
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
