TSA catches loaded firearm at West Virginia airport

CHARLESTON, W.Va (WDTV) - A West Virginia man was cited by police after TSA officers at Yeager Airport caught a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag on Monday.

TSA officials said the .380 caliber handgun was loaded with five bullets, and the carry-on bag also contained an additional magazine with five more bullets.

Officials said local police were alerted and came to the checkpoint when the TSA officer spotted the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine. Police confiscated the weapon and cited the Mingo County man on a weapons charge.

When an individual shows up at a checkpoint with a firearm, the checkpoint lane comes to a standstill until the police resolve the incident.

“We get that there are plenty of rules related to TSA security screening and that they are not always easy to remember,” said Simone Beyer, TSA’s Acting Federal Security Director for West Virginia. “But travelers must remember not to bring their firearms and ammunition to our security checkpoints.”

This is the second firearm caught by TSA at Yeager Airport’s checkpoint this year.

Nationwide, TSA officers detected 5,972 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints last year.

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