Tampa, Fla. (970 WFLA)- Four loaded hand guns found in one day at Tampa International Airport checkpoints Tuesday.
At approximately 10 a.m., a loaded Glock .45 caliber pistol was discovered in a passenger’s carry-on bag.
A loaded Kel-Tec .380 was discovered in a different passenger’s carry-on bag at approximately 12 p.m.
A loaded Glock .380 was found at 2:30 p.m., followed by a loaded Ruger .380 a couple hours later at 4:30 p.m.
In each of the four incidents, TSA immediately alerted airport police, who took possession of the bags and escorted the passengers out of the checkpoint area.
While firearms may be transported in checked baggage (provided they are declared to the airline, in a proper carrying case and unloaded), they are prohibited in carry-on bags.
TSA would like to remind passengers that it is important for them to thoroughly search their bags for any potential dangerous weapons or prohibited items before departing for the airport.
Safety is the first concern of the TSA, and having these items in bags that are traveling with you on the aircraft is dangerous to other travelers and can be easily mistaken as an intentional attempt to bring a prohibited item onto an aircraft.
“Passengers are responsible for the contents of bags they bring to the checkpoint,” said Mark Howell, TSA Regional Spokesperson. “Our advice is to look through bags thoroughly before coming to the airport to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items.”
TSA officers at TPA have now discovered 34 firearms at security checkpoints in 2017. A total of 79 were found there in 2016.
Photo Credit: TIA