Local The TSA found a record amount of guns at Logan this year Officers detected 28 guns at security checkpoints in Logan Airport in 2022. The previous record was 20 guns in 2018. TSA officers detected this loaded .38 Special, along with six rounds, in a woman’s purse on Dec. 8. Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration has detected more firearms at Logan Airport in 2022 than any previous year, the agency said.
The announcement comes after TSA officers prevented two Massachusetts residents from carrying guns on to airplanes last week.
In total, TSA officers have found 28 guns at security checkpoints in Logan this year. This is the new record, the agency said. The previous record came in 2018, when officers detected 20 guns throughout the year. They found 18 guns in 2019, 11 guns in 2020, and 18 guns in 2021.
“Once again our officers are on top of preventing loaded firearms from entering the secure area of the airport,” Bob Allison, the TSA’s federal security director for Massachusetts, said in a statement. “Carelessly traveling with a loaded firearm is dangerous and a public safety concern, considering it could accidentally be discharged during a search. Gun owners need to ensure they know where their firearms are before traveling to the airport.”
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On the morning of Dec. 8, TSA officers detected a gun in a woman’s purse as she tried to move through security screening in Terminal C. Massachusetts State Police troopers responded, and found a loaded, pink .38 Special. The woman told police that she was in a rush and forgot to put the gun in a safe at home, according to the TSA. Police confiscated the gun and issued a summons to the woman.
The following morning, Dec. 9, TSA officers once again detected a loaded gun at Logan. MSP troopers found a loaded .380 caliber firearm in a man’s carry-on bag, the TSA said. The man, a Massachusetts resident, could not provide a permit to carry the gun and was arrested.
In total, 42 guns have been detected at TSA checkpoints throughout New England this year, the agency said. Last year, TSA officers detected 40 guns at New England checkpoints.
On top of the 28 found at Logan in 2022, five guns were found at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, three were found at T. F. Green International Airport in Providence, three were found at Bangor International Airport, two were found at Portland International Jetport, and one was found at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
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The TSA can issue civil penalties to travelers who have guns or gun parts with them at security checkpoints. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded gun into a checkpoint is $3,000. Mitigating circumstances can increase this to as much as $15,000, the agency said.
These penalties can be applied to people with concealed carry permits, as those documents do not allow for firearms to be carried onto airplanes. Members of TSA Precheck will lose their privileges if they are found trying to improperly transport a gun.
Firearms can be transported in checked baggage, the TSA said, if the weapons are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case, and declared at the airline check-in counter.
More information on how to transport guns can be found on the TSA’s website.