On the morning of November 1st, 2024, a man from Ridgewood, New Jersey, was arrested by local police officers at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) after officers from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) detected a handgun among the items in the man's carry-on luggage. When the man's blue backpack was placed through the X-ray machine in Terminal C at a TSA checkpoint at the airport, TSA officers detected the firearm, and the individual in question was immediately removed from the line.
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Shortly after this incident occurred, officers from the Port Authority Police were immediately alerted, and they both confiscated the firearm (which, according to TSA images, is a small handgun) and placed the man in question under arrest. Upon further interrogation, the man revealed that he had been carrying the weapon with him as he had previously been a victim of multiple crimes. This is not the first time such an incident has happened in recent weeks, with a man being placed under arrest for attempting to conceal a disassembled handful in a LEGO box at Newark Airport earlier this month.
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TSA officials indicated that while this may be an understandable reason to own a gun, the man was not aware of the strict regulations preventing firearms from being carried onboard aircraft. As a result, he will likely face heavy financial penalties for his transgressions, with TSA officials reminding the public that guns can only be carried onboard an aircraft if they have been placed in a checked bag. It is unclear at this time if the individual in question was aware that he was illegally bringing a firearm through airport security.
Commercial A difficult situation to manage
In the United States, extensive rules permit private individuals to carry and own firearms. However, these present a significant safety risk if they are allowed within the cabin of an aircraft. As a result, the TSA's guidelines only allow passengers to transport firearms in an aircraft's cargo hold when placed inside an individual's checked baggage.
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The firearm must always be placed in a locked, hard-sided case and must be fully declared to the airline. Additionally, all ammunition must be removed from the weapon, and any additional guidelines are published on the TSA's website. Occasionally, these guidelines are broken by individuals unfamiliar with the rules regarding the transportation of firearms, as occurred last year at Portland International Jetport (PWM).
Related TSA Says 93% Of More Than 5,000 Firearms Found At Security Checkpoints This Year Were Loaded
Around 20 firearms were intercepted per day at TSA checkpoints this year.
17 The passenger at Newark today did not follow the appropriate guidelines
Needless to say, the individual at Newark Airport today failed to place his gun in his checked baggage and also did not declare the weapon to the airline he was traveling with. As a result, he will now face extensive civil penalties, which can amount to $15,000, depending on the circumstances surrounding the incident that are revealed pending further investigation.
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The TSA has continued to face issues regarding the illegal transportation of firearms for years now, despite extensive warnings to the public. In a statement regarding today's incident, Thomas Carter, the organization's Federal Security Director for New Jersey, had the following words to share:
"Guns are not permitted to be carried into the cabin of a plane. As a result, not only does this individual face criminal charges from the police, but he also will face a stiff federal financial civil penalty that is likely to set him back several thousands of dollars. Firearms are never permitted through an airport security checkpoint."
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At the end of the day, passengers are ultimately those responsible for abiding by all relevant TSA guidelines. The TSA has noted that in addition to fines, those who violate TSA guidelines will be subject to losing TSA PreCheck privileges.