TSA recovers loaded gun from carry-on luggage at Santa Barbara Airport

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A loaded gun was recovered from the carry-on luggage of a traveler at the Santa Barbara Airport Sunday.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, at around 4:20 a.m. TSA employees discovered the handgun during a routing X-ray screening. They found a 9 mm Glock pistol that was loaded with seven rounds of ammunition in the carry-on bag of a person traveling to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

The Santa Barbara Police Department was contacted and the traveler was interviewed. According to TSA, the unnamed traveler is expected to face state charges for carrying a concealed weapon.

This is the first incident in 2022 in which a firearm was recovered at the airport. No firearms were found in carry-on luggage throughout the entire previous year.

The TSA is reminding travelers and passengers to be aware of what is in their carry-on luggage and make sure it doesn't include any prohibited items. TSA says prohibited items slow down the security check process for all travelers and firearms in particular can lead to criminal charges.

“For the safety of TSA employees, the airport community and other passengers, no traveler should ever bring a firearm in their carry-on luggage to the security checkpoint,” said Anita Minaei, TSA Federal Security Director for Santa Barbara Airport. “If you are planning to travel with a firearm, please take a few minutes to properly pack and secure it for transit in checked baggage on a commercial aircraft. This will save you time and money.”

Firearms and ammunition can be transported on planes in checked baggage, TSA says. For more information about traveling with a firearm, click here.