Armed man flees TSA before being arrested by police
BOSTON MA December 31, 2022 – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers prevented a Massachusetts resident from carrying loaded firearm onto an airplane last night at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).
During Wednesday evening security screening in Terminal A, TSA officers detected a firearm in a man’s carry-on bag. A Supervisory Transportation Security Officer approached the man and asked if the bag was his. The man denied being the owner of the bag. He then left the checkpoint and headed to his gate.
Massachusetts State Police responded and arrested the 36-year-old Hyde Park, MA resident at his gate.
“Once again our officers are on top of preventing loaded firearms from entering the secure area of the airport,” said Bob Allison, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Massachusetts. “Carelessly traveling with a loaded firearm is dangerous and a public safety concern, considering it could accidentally be discharged during a search.”
TSA officers have now detected 31 firearms at BOS security checkpoints this year, eleven more than the previous record of 20 in 2018.
A total of 46 firearms have been detected at New England security checkpoints in 2022, 31 at BOS, 5 at BDL, 3 at PVD, 3 at BGR, 3 at PWM and 1 at MHT. In 2021 there were 40 firearm detections at New England security checkpoints.
TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded gun into a checkpoint is $3,000 and can go as high as $15,000 depending on any mitigating circumstances.
This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter.
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.
