NH Man Caught Bringing Loaded Gun To Boston Logan Airport

BOSTON – A Dublin, New Hampshire man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers on Monday with a loaded firearm in his carry-on bag at Boston Logan International Airport.

A TSA officer detected the loaded 9 mm firearm with seven rounds in the passenger’s carry-on bag as it was being screened in the X-ray machine. The officer contacted Massachusetts State Police.

"When an individual shows up at a checkpoint with a firearm, the security lane comes to a standstill until the police resolve the incident," TSA officials said in a release.

Traveling with firearms in carry-on bags is not permitted.

He was not arrested or charged, according to state police.

"It ended up being more of a TSA matter," said Lt. Thomas Ryan of the State Police who said the man was properly licensed. "The issue was more of how the gun was being transported."

So far this year, TSA officers at the airport have stopped 13 firearms from getting onto planes. In 2018, officers found 21 firearms and in 2017, they found 14.

State Police have said it's not uncommon for someone to just forget their weapon in a bag.

Even if you have a concealed firearm permit, you are subject to criminal charges from law enforcement for bringing a gun to a checkpoint. And TSA can administer civil penalties of up to $13,333 for weapons violations. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $4,000, according to TSA.

It's not illegal for people with gun permits to travel with an unloaded firearm in their checked bags. But TSA recommends contacting individual airlines for additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.

Last year, 4,239 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging about 11.6 firearms per day, approximately a 7 percent increase nationally in firearm discoveries from the total of 3,957 detected in 2017. Eighty-six percent of firearms detected at checkpoints last year were loaded and nearly 34 percent had a bullet in the chamber.

Previously this year:

Man Who Brought Loaded Gun To Boston Logan Airport Arrested

Weymouth Man Had Loaded Gun At Logan Airport

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at [email protected] or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).