A New York City man was arrested Tuesday after claiming he "forgot" he had a loaded gun and more than 100 bullets packed in a carry-on bag upon reaching a security checkpoint at LaGuardia Airport, officials said.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers detected a .22-caliber firearm inside the man’s carry-on items after the checkpoint X-ray unit triggered an alarm, the agency said.
Officers inspected the man’s bags and discovered the firearm, which was loaded with 10 bullets, alongside two boxes that each contained 50 bullets, according to the TSA.
The man told officials that he had previously taken the bag to a shooting range and forgot that the gun and ammunition were still inside when he took it to the airport, the agency said.
"People carrying guns to our checkpoints represent a serious security and safety concern," said Robert Duffy, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. "The fact that the majority of people tell us that they forgot that they had their loaded gun with them is equally disconcerting. If you own a firearm, you need to know where it is at all times. That’s part of being a responsible gun owner."
TSA alerted Port Authority Police, and officers confiscated the weapon. The man was arrested on a weapons charge and faces a federal penalty of up to $15,000.
Officials did not publicly identify the man, but said he was from Brooklyn.
The incident marks the second firearm that TSA officers have detected at LaGuardia’s security checkpoints this year.
In the first three months of 2023, TSA officers have detected 1,508 firearms in carry-on luggage at airport security checkpoints, a 10.3% rise over the same time frame last year, the agency said. Of those firearms, 93% were loaded.
The agency said 6,542 firearms were intercepted at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints nationwide last year, and 88% of those guns were loaded.
