The Transportation Security Administration discovered a loaded firearm at a Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) checkpoint on Thursday.
At approximately 3 p.m., a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun with a loaded magazine was detected in a passenger’s carry-on bag. TSA immediately alerted airport police, who took possession of the bag and escorted the passenger out of the checkpoint area.
While firearms may be transported in checked baggage (provided they are declared to the airline, in a proper carrying case and unloaded), they are prohibited in carry-on bags.
Officials said, "Security is the first concern of the TSA, and having these items in bags that are traveling with a person on the aircraft is dangerous to other travelers and can be easily mistaken as an intentional attempt to bring a prohibited item onto an aircraft."
“Even with much lower than normal passenger numbers, we continue to find firearms at a very high rate at security checkpoints,” said Steve Wood, TSA Assistant Federal Security Director for Tennessee.
“Passengers must remember they’re responsible for the contents of bags and our advice is they thoroughly inspect all personal belongings to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items before coming to the airport.”
This is the ninth firearm detected by TSA officers at CHA security checkpoints this year, matching the total detected there in all of 2019.
In addition to potential criminal charges, passengers who bring firearms to a checkpoint face civil penalties from TSA: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/civil-enforcement
For more information about TSA prohibited items, please follow these links: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/all
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition