ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A Sodus man was caught with a loaded handgun inside his carry-on at the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport on Thursday.
According to TSA agents, they detected the firearm inside his bag at the checkpoint. The gun was loaded with six chambers — including one inside the chamber.
Following an inspection, the man told agents that he forgot the loaded gun was with him and that he had a valid pistol permit. The gun was taken away by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
“Airports are congested, people are eager to travel this summer and it is no time to be carrying prohibited or illegal items in your carry-on bag,” said Bart Johnson, the federal security director of the airport’s TSA. “Gun owners have a responsibility to know where their firearms are at all times and know that they should not be in a carry-on bag.”
TSA’s rules state that travelers may travel with a firearm in a checked bag, as long as the gun is unloaded and packed in a hard-sided, locked case. The case must also be declared at the airline check-in counter.