The individual was cited by authorities.
A Collegeville man was caught by officers of the Transportation Security Administration with a loaded 9mm handgun at Philadelphia International Airport on July 11.
According to the TSA, the gun was loaded with 11 bullets, including one in the chamber. The weapon was confiscated, per the report.
“Travelers need to pay more attention to the items that they have inside their carry-on bags,” said Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Travelers are responsible for the contents of their carry-on bags. In addition, responsible gun owners know where their firearms are at all times and they know not to bring them to a security checkpoint. Bringing guns to checkpoints is a serious security violation. Each of these individuals can expect that TSA will issue them a costly Federal civil penalty.”
According to the TSA, it is considered a federal civil penalty to bring a gun to an airport checkpoint, carrying upwards of thousands of dollars in fines.
A concealed carry permit does not allow a firearm to be carried through a checkpoint, said the TSA.
As of July 11, there have been 21 firearms caught at TSA checkpoints at PHL. Last year, TSA officers confiscated 45 firearms and 44 firearms in 2022. The lowest number of firearms collected over the past five years is 20 in 2019, according to the TSA.
