Connecticut Man Arrested After Bringing Gun to JFK: TSA

A Connecticut man flying to Aruba was arrested on a weapons charge after police said he tried to bring a handgun through a John F. Kennedy International Airport security checkpoint  Monday morning. 

The New Canaan man told Transportation Security Administration officers that he forgot he put the gun in his carry-on bag, according to the TSA. Officers detected the .22-caliber firearm in the man's bag at the security checkpoint via the X-ray machine and found it in a case.

TSA officers stopped him from bringing the handgun beyond security. Port Authority Police arrested him on a state weapons charge and seized the gun.

The man was one of 90,000 passengers TSA officers screen on average daily at the airport, according to the TSA.

TSA and police have not released the name of the passenger arrested. 

The TSA reminds passengers that they are responsible for what they bring in their bags to a security checkpoint and that weapons, including firearms, firearm parts and ammunition, are forbidden from carry-on bags, according to the TSA. Anyone who brings a firearm to a security checkpoint faces possible criminal charges and fines up to $11,000 from the TSA.

TSA advises passengers to inspect their carry-on luggage before entering an airport "to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items" and to review their state's firearm laws before traveling.

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