CHARLESTON, W.Va. - For the second day in a row, West Virginia men were nabbed with loaded handguns at Yeager Airport (CRW) and were cited by police for carrying a gun in an airport.
On Thursday, March 16, a Huntington resident was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun loaded with eight bullets, including one in the gun’s chamber. Thursday’s incident followed a similar one on Wednesday, March 15, when a Dunbar man entered the TSA checkpoint with a loaded.380 caliber semi-automatic handgun loaded with six bullets, including one in the chamber. An additional 14 bullets were also in a box next to that gun.
TSA officers immediately contacted the Yeager Airport Police both days. Police responded and confiscated the guns and bullets and cited each man on a state weapons charge. The incidents are not believed to have been related.
These incidents should serve as a reminder that passengers are responsible for the contents of bags they bring to the security checkpoint, and TSA’s advice to passengers is to look through bags thoroughly before coming to the airport to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items.
Weapons-including firearms, firearm parts and ammunition-are not permitted in carry-on bags, but can be transported in checked bags if they are unloaded, properly packed and declared to the airline. Passengers who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to possible criminal charges from law enforcement and civil penalties from TSA up to $12,000.
TSA’s website has details on how to properly travel with a firearm. Airlines may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition. Travelers should also contact the airline regarding firearm and ammunition carriage policies.
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration
