Safety checkpoints at Newark Airport are on tempo to set a report for the variety of weapons intercepted by the Transportation Safety Administration, officers introduced Monday.
In the newest incident, on March 28, a New Jersey man was arrested after making an attempt to convey a 9mm handgun by means of a checkpoint, the TSA stated.
The person was taken into custody by Port Authority police.
The TSA has now intercepted seven weapons within the first three months of the yr, placing it on a tempo to exceed final yr’s record-setting variety of 21 weapons discovered and 2023’s 20 weapons stopped by safety officers.
“We have seen a lot of handguns showing up at our security checkpoints so far this year,” stated Thomas Carter, TSA’s federal safety director for New Jersey. “This marked the seventh firearm that our officers have prevented from being carried onto a flight. At this rate, we will surpass last year’s record-setting number of guns intercepted at the checkpoints. We would prefer to see fewer travelers bringing guns to our checkpoints than set a new record. Let this serve as a reminder to others who own a firearm that you should never bring it to a security checkpoint.”
The penalty for bringing a gun by means of a checkpoint can embrace a advantageous of as much as $15,000 and doubtlessly a civil penalty. Hid carry permits don’t permit for firearms to be introduced onto airplanes, the TSA stated.
In accordance with the TSA, passengers can convey unloaded firearms in a locked hard-side container as checked baggage that’s declared to airline employees on the ticket counter. The weapon will journey with checked baggage on the aircraft.
Extra details about the principles of touring with weapons and ammunition may be discovered right here on the TSA’s web site.
NBC New York has reached out to the Port Authority, which operates Newark Airport, for remark.
