Last year, Richmond International Airport stopped seventeen passengers with firearms. Now – less than halfway through 2024 – police have confiscated 18 guns in the terminal. Spokesman Troy Bell says it happens in spite of the airport’s best efforts.
“We have 10 entry doors, and all those doors have signs. Every ticket counter has a sign. To go to the security screening checkpoints, you walk past pop-ups – NO FIREARMS IN CARRY-ON messages, and there’s also a public address system announcement that is running on a ten-minute rotation.”
“This is an important message concerning firearms in the airport," says a recorded voice in the terminal "For the safety of all concerned, travelers must maintain control of their personal property to avoid transporting items without their knowledge. Carrying firearms through a TSA screening checkpoint is prohibited by federal and state law.”
So what excuse do most people offer when caught? Lisa Farbstein speaks for the Transportation Security Administration.
“People tell us, ‘Oh, I forgot I had my loaded gun with me, and the next most common excuse we hear is that my husband packed my bag or my wife packed my bag," she says. "None of these excuses fly!"
She adds that people should know better by now.
“TSA has been in existence for 22 years, and this is nothing new, because that law was in effect before TSA even existed!”
Farbstein oversees activity at seven of the nation’s largest airports: Laguardia, JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Reagan National and Dulles.
So far, she says, those airports and others around the nation have spotted ammunition, gun parts and more than 3,000 firearms going through security. When that happens, TSA stops the conveyer belt and calls the cops.
“We do not even want our TSA officers to handle firearms, because that’s just an accident waiting to happen," Farbstein explains.
Police then confiscate the gun and consider the circumstances before deciding whether to issue a criminal citation or make an arrest.
“Was this the first time this individual has brought a gun to this checkpoint or have they done it previously? Was the firearm loaded or was it not loaded? Was there a bullet in the chamber? Was the individual cooperative with TSA and law enforcement officers or were they disruptive to the entire checkpoint and all the other passengers?”
Either way, those who break the law should expect to pay thousands of dollars in fines, lose membership in the federal pre-check program and miss their flight.
It is, however, easy to avoid problems. TSA’s Lisa Farbstein says you can legally travel with a gun.
“The right way to do it is to make sure that it’s unloaded, that it is in a hard-sided case, that you lock the case and take it to the airline check-in counter. You declare you want to fly with it. The airline will give you some paperwork to fill out. It’s the size of an index card.”
And that should take no more than a minute. What you cannot do, however, is to travel with fireworks.
“It’s this time of year that we start seeing people who are packing fireworks and sparklers – neither of which are permitted in either a checked bag or a carry-on bag. That’s because they are highly flammable, and – of course – fireworks are explosives.”
One other note of caution for those who plan to travel with firearms. They should check the laws where they’re going before boarding a flight as permits may be required to possess or conceal a weapon at their destination.
