NEW YORK — Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents arrested a Louisiana woman on Monday after stopping her from bringing a loaded handgun on a flight at LaGuardia Airport, the agency said, a day when many people are headed home after the long Thanksgiving weekend. Let’s return ,
A TSA officer saw the gun on the monitor of the checkpoint’s X-ray machine as the woman’s luggage was entering the X-ray unit. TSA immediately alerted Port Authority police, who responded to the checkpoint and confiscated the weapon.
The .38 caliber revolver pistol was loaded with five bullets.
The woman was questioned and later arrested for a weapons violation.
According to Robert Duffy, TSA’s federal security director for airports, the number of people stopped with weapons at checkpoints by TSA agents has increased compared to last year.
“Our officers have already intercepted more than twice as many weapons at our checkpoints this year as last year,” Duffy said. “However, no one should bring a gun to the checkpoint as guns are not allowed on planes. This applies to those with concealed carry permits and to passengers who are enrolled in TSA PreCheck®. If someone wants to take a plane on a flight, it needs to be packed properly to be placed in checked baggage. That starts with making sure it’s downloaded.”
TSA firearms seizures at LaGuardia Airport checkpoints from 2017 to 2022,
| year | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 (as of 11/28/22) |
| Weapons Stuck at LaGuardia Airport Checkpoints | 6 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
