Nov. 13—A Williamsville man with a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag was stopped while boarding a plane at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport on Tuesday.
Transportation Security Administration officials said the man was in possession of a 9mm handgun loaded with 11 bullets, including one in the chamber.
When the checkpoint’s X-ray unit triggered an alarm about the contents of the carry-on bag, TSA agents viewing the X-ray image spotted the firearm and stopped the screening process. They immediately notified Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) police, who responded to the checkpoint, seized the weapon and detained the man for questioning.
Because the passenger had a valid New York State pistol permit, police cited the man with a violation notice on a weapons charge and later allowed him to leave the airport with his firearm.
No weapons are allowed to be transported to or through security checkpoints and now, in addition to the criminal charges, the man is also facing a stiff financial civil penalty from TSA. The fine for carrying weapons can be up to $15,000.
“I would like to express my appreciation to the TSA officers who took swift action and to the NFTA police officers who responded to the checkpoint and prevented the man from maintaining control of his loaded weapon,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s federal Security Director for Upstate New York.
“Bringing a loaded firearm to a checkpoint poses a threat and a potentially dangerous situation to anyone in the area,” Johnson added. “I hope others learn from this traveler’s mistake.”
The TSA has now intercepted four people with firearms at the Buffalo airport this year. In 2023, seven weapons were intercepted by TSA officials.
Passengers may only travel with firearms in checked baggage. Firearms must be unloaded and then packed in a hard, locked case. The locked suitcase must be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.
