Routine baggage screenings at the Redding Municipal Airport turned up two loaded guns Thursday.

The first gun was found at 7 a.m. during the pre-flight X-ray scan of a bag. A loaded .40 caliber Smith & Wesson MP40 handgun was spotted by a Transportation Security Administration agent in the carry-on bag of a male passenger traveling to Los Angeles.

The second gun was a .38 caliber Chester Arms gun loaded with five rounds of ammunition. That gun was found in the carry-on bag of a female passenger traveling to Burbank. The travelers were interviewed by law enforcement and allowed to continue their trips.

“The discovery of two firearms in a single day at Redding Municipal Airport is significant. However, it is a vivid reminder of the message that TSA has repeatedly communicated to travelers: take note of the contents of your carry-on luggage prior to coming to the airport to ensure that you do not bring firearms or others prohibited items to the security checkpoint,” said TSA Federal Security Director Sid Hanna who oversees TSA operations at RDD. “TSA officers will continue to stay focused on their security mission to ensure that prohibited items including firearms do not make it into the sterile area of the airport or onto an aircraft.”

These were the second and third firearms found at Redding Municipal Airport this year.

There weren't any firearms found last year and only one in 2019.

Firearms can be transported on a commercial aircraft only if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case, declared to the airline and placed in checked baggage.

TSA will review the circumstances of each firearm incident and issue a civil penalty against each of the travelers. The recommended civil penalty for a firearm starts at $2,050 and can go up to the maximum of more than $10,000 per violation.