Woman With Loaded Handgun Stopped by TSA at Appleton International Airport

Sep. 10--A woman was stopped by the Transportation Security Administration from taking a loaded handgun onto a plane at the Appleton International Airport Friday, the agency reported Wednesday. 

A TSA officer found the loaded .38-caliber handgun in the lining of the woman's carry-on bag at around 7:30 a.m. Friday, according to the TSA. A deputy with the Outagamie County Sheriff's Office responded to the security checkpoint and took possession of the weapon.

The agency has the right to issue a civil penalty to passengers who have guns with them at security checkpoints, and a typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint starts at $4,100 and can go as high as $13,669 depending on circumstances. The penalty also applies to those with a permit to carry a concealed weapon because firearms are not allowed in the passenger section of a plane.

TSA Wisconsin Federal Security Director Mark Lendvay said in a statement passengers who want to travel with a firearm, which is only allowed in checked baggage if it is packed correctly and declared at the check-in counter, should first check with their airline and TSA regulations before coming to the airport because firearm possession laws vary by state and locality.

"Under no circumstances should a passenger bring a firearm to an airport security checkpoint," Lendvay said.

There were 4,432 firearms found in carry-on bags at security checkpoints across the U.S. in 2019, averaging some 12.1 per day, which was 5% more than the 4,239 firearms found in 2018. Of the firearms found at checkpoints in 2019, 87% of them were loaded.

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