A Laeger, W.Va., woman was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at West Virginia International Yeager Airport with a loaded firearm in her carry-on bag on Monday, June 10. The .22 caliber pistol was loaded with five bullets including one in the chamber.
TSA officers halted the screening process and immediately notified the police, who responded to the checkpoint and permitted the woman to return the firearm to her vehicle.
Guns are not permitted to be carried into or through the security checkpoint and now the woman faces a stiff financial civil penalty from TSA. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.
“It is disappointing to see travelers continue to bring their firearms to our checkpoints instead of properly packing them for a flight,” said John C. Allen TSA’s Federal Security Director for West Virginia. “If you want to travel with your firearm, all that we ask is that you pack it the right way for a flight. It is a fairly simple process. For starters, it needs to be unloaded. Pack the unloaded gun in a hard-sided locked case. Take the case to the airline check-in counter and declare that you want to fly with it. The airline will make sure it is transported to your destination in the belly of the plane so that nobody has access to it during the flight. It really is that easy.”
