SLO County Regional Airport finds first firearm in carry-on luggage of the year Wednesday
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – For the first time this year, a traveler at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport was stopped when the loaded 9 mm Glock 19 handgun she had in her carry-on was detected during a routine X-ray screening at a security checkpoint.
The woman was stopped and interviewed before being allowed to catch her flight to Denver without the firearm stated a press release from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Wednesday.
On Jan. 29, around 3:45 a.m., a female traveler was passing through a routine X-ray screening of carry-on property at a security checkpoint at the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (SBP) when a TSA agent noticed the Glock 19 on their X-ray screen inside of her carry-on detailed the TSA.
The TSA agent notified members of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department who responded to the checkpoint, contacted the traveler, and removed the handgun from the X-ray tunnel shared the TSA.
Ultimately, the woman was allowed to catch her flight to Denver International Airport after being interviewed and without the weapon explained the TSA.
"I am grateful for the TSA Officers who continue to stay focused on detecting potential security threats. Firearms brought by travelers in carry-on luggage continue to be an issue at airports across the country including SBP," said TSA SBP Federal Security Director Anita Minaei. "My hope is that highlighting the discovery of this firearm will be an incentive for gun owners to reacquaint themselves with the rules on traveling with a firearm on a commercial aircraft."
The table below, courtesy of the TSA, shows firearm discoveries at SBP, Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA), and national totals since 2019.
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According to the TSA, their agency screened about 904 million passengers and crew at airports across the country with firearms discovered in carry-on luggage at a rate of 7.39 firearms found for every one million screened passengers.
In addition to potential criminal citations for bringing a firearm in your carry-on, the TSA can levy a civil penalty that can include factors such as if the firearm was loaded or if the ammunition was accessible noted the TSA.
Even if a traveler has a concealed weapons permit, no firearms are allowed in carry-on luggage shared the TSA.
Even replica firearms are prohibited in carry-on luggage and must be transported in the same was as a standard firearm described above stated the TSA.
During the check-in process, passengers need to declare their properly-packaged firearm at an airline ticket window and are encouraged to verify gun regulations at their destination detailed the TSA.
Some airlines will have airline-specific requirements when transporting firearms added the TSA.
If you have any questions, you can always check the TSA's 'What Can I Bring' webpage.