TSA Discovers Ninth Loaded Gun at Boston Logan Airport This Year
The Transportation Security Administration's goal is to ensure safety for all travelers who pass through the airport. Unfortunately, it sounds like the TSA agents at Boston Logan International Airport have had their work cut out for them in that regard.
This week, the TSA revealed that agents stopped a passenger from carrying a loaded firearm onto an airplane at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) on Monday, June 16, after a gun was discovered in a carry-on bag.
During a security screening in Terminal A on Monday morning, a TSA officer detected a firearm in the 29-year-old male’s carry-on bag. After detecting the gun, TSA officers immediately alerted Massachusetts State Police (MSP), who confirmed there was a 9mm firearm in the bag.
After questioning the man, police took possession of the firearm and cited the man on state charges. According to a TSA news release, a typical first offense for carrying a loaded gun into a TSA checkpoint is $3,000 and can go as high as $17,062 depending on the circumstances of the incident.
Perhaps the most concerning part of this announcement, however, is just how many times an incident like this has occurred at Boston Logan International Airport so far this year, as this marks now the ninth time just this year that TSA officers have discovered a firearm at the security checkpoint.
The latest incident prompted a warning from a TSA security director reminding all gun owners to make sure they do not have guns on them when they travel.
"In addition to the serious safety risk these incidents pose, they slow down the screening process for all passengers when we temporarily close down a lane," said TSA’s Federal Security Director for Massachusetts, Bob Allison. "I strongly urge all gun owners to ensure they know where their firearms are before traveling."
It's worth noting that these rules apply to all travelers, even those who have concealed gun carry permits. Though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, that permit does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane.
Gun owners can, however, 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.