ALCOA, Tenn. — Security officers at McGhee Tyson Airport stopped a passenger Monday morning after finding a loaded gun in their carry-on bag.
The Transportation Safety Administration said it alerted airport police after discovering a Smith & Wesson handgun with a loaded magazine inside the carry-on bag around 6:30 a.m.
Police took possession of the bag and escorted the passenger out of the checkpoint area.
This is the fourth firearm TSA has found at a TYS security checkpoint this year. In 2020, seven total guns were found -- and one out of every 20 guns found last year at a TSA security checkpoint in American airports was at a Tennessee airport.
“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 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.”
The TSA said people who bring firearms to a checkpoint face civil penalties.
Passengers are only allowed to transport guns in checked baggage, so long as they are declared to the airline in a proper carrying case and unloaded.