Newark Airport on pace for record gun seizures

For the third time this month, a loaded handgun was found in luggage at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The Transportation Security Administration found the 9mm handgun in the carry-on luggage of a passenger from Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. The gun was loaded with 13 bullets, including one in the chamber.

"This individual had a pretty bad Thanksgiving,” Thomas Carter, TSA federal security director for New Jersey, said in a statement announcing the discovery.

"Not only was this man arrested, but he also now faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty that could run into thousands of dollars," he said.

The TSA did not name the individual but he was detained and arrested by Port Authority Police inside Terminal C.

A total of 14 guns have been discovered at Newark airport checkpoints this year, which ties the record for most guns caught at the airport in a single year with a full month remaining in 2022, according to the TSA.

The TSA reported the discovery of 5,972 guns at airport security checkpoints nationwide in 2021 86 percent of them were loaded.

Firearms and ammunition are allowed to be transported by plane, but they must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container. The TSA says the firearm must be declared to the airline when checking your bag at a counter. The container must completely secure the firearm from being accessed. Full details of how to transport weapons and ammunition can be found on the TSA website.

Each individual airline may also have their own guidelines and procedures to transporting firearms and ammunition and may charge a fee for doing so.

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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