Transportation Security Administration officials said they stopped a man from carrying a loaded firearm onto a plane at Tweed New Haven Airport on Thursday.
Authorities said that during an afternoon security screening, officers found a firearm in someone's backpack. Police were notified and said they found a loaded 9mm with a round chambered.
When asked, the South Carolina resident said he was in a rush and forgot to put the firearm in his check luggage. He ended up missing his flight.
“Even if you have a valid permit to carry, there are proper procedures you still have follow in order to travel with a firearm,” said William Csontos, TSA Federal Security Director for Connecticut.
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People traveling with a firearm need to have a permit to carry, and need to make sure the firearm is in a locked hard-sided container. They can only be transported in checked baggage.
Travelers also need to declare the firearm and ammunition to the airline when checking their bag at the ticket counter, TSA officials said. Passengers can only travel with firearms in their checked baggage in they're not loaded and packed separately from ammunition.
This was the eighth firearm detected in Connecticut so far this year, and third found at Tweed Airport.
