May 01--A traveler at the Boise Airport on Thursday morning was found to have a loaded gun in his carrying-on luggage at security checkpoint, according to a Seattle-based spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration. It was found at 5:55 a.m.
The gun was a .45-caliber Springfield semi-automatic pistol. The gun was loaded with 10 rounds.
When the gun was identified by the TSA officer doing screening, he immediately notified law enforcement. Police removed the bag from the checkpoint and questioned the traveler, who was headed to Salt Lake City.
William Kingston of Nampa was charged with a misdemeanor for having a firearm at an airport checkpoint. Additionally, the TSA will levy a civil penalty against the traveler. The recommended civil penalty ranges from $3,000 to $7,500; each penalty is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
The gun will be kept by police as evidence, but Kingston will be able to get it back, Boise Police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower said. Kingston was still able to make his plane, Hightower said.
It was the fourth loaded firearm found at a Boise Airport checkpoint in 2014. Airport security confiscated 10 guns last year, and eight guns in 2012.
How many were found at checkpoints across the country last year? More than 1,800.
Firearms may be transported in checked baggage. They must be declared to the airline, and they must be unloaded. Additionally, they must be stored in a hard-sided locked case.
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