by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:51 AM ET, Tue October 29, 2019
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers working at a New Jersey airport Monday discovered a man attempting to carry a loaded gun onto a plane.
Agents working at a security checkpoint in Terminal C of Newark Liberty International Airport caught a man carrying a .22 caliber handgun loaded with four bullets inside his carry-on bag.
Officers discovered the loaded weapon when the bag went through the checkpoint X-ray machine, and the unidentified man was arrested by the Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey.
So far in 2019, agents working at TSA checkpoints in the New Jersey airport have discovered 11 firearms, which puts last year's record-breaking total of 14 confiscated guns in jeopardy.
In total, 4,239 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country last year, averaging about 11.6 guns per day. The number is a seven percent increase over the 3,957 firearms detected in 2017, with 86 percent of the guns detected being loaded.
TSA officials are reminding travelers that firearms can be stored in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked and packed separately from ammunition.
The agency also warns travelers that firearm possession laws vary by state and locality, so they must do their proper research to avoid a potential criminal issue.
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