ROMULUS (WWJ) – Five people are facing citations after TSA officers intercepted five loaded guns in four days at Detroit Metro Airport.
While officials say on average, more than a dozen guns are stopped every day at airport checkpoints across the country, it is “unusual for DTW to have so many stopped in such a short period of time.”
All of the guns were stopped in separate incidents between Thursday, March 30 and Sunday, April 2 – including three that happened in less than an hour and a half between 6:20 and 7:45 a.m. Friday
On Thursday, a passenger asked a TSA officer before entering a body scanner if he could give her something he forgot, before handing her the firearm. In each of the other incidents, images of the firearms were discovered on the X-ray screen during the routine screening of carry-on luggage.
In all incidents, airport police responded, confiscated the firearms, and cited the travelers. All of the firearms were loaded.
Including these five, 28 firearms have been detected at DTW checkpoints so far this year, officials said Last year, 100 firearms were detected at the airport and and 94 were stopped in 2021.
“Although it’s extremely troubling that so many passengers continue to make this careless, expensive mistake, the general public should feel safer knowing that the TSA officers in Detroit continue to perform their jobs exceptionally well and are stopping these firearms from going past the checkpoint,” said Michigan TSA Acting Federal Security Director Bill Byrne, per a press release.
The TSA recently announced the penalty for bringing weapons to the airport has been increased and can reach as high as $14,950, depending on the circumstances. TSA determines the penalty amount for a violation based on the circumstances in each case.
TSA will continue to revoke TSA PreCheck eligibility for at least five years for passengers caught with a firearm in their possession.
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.
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should check for firearm laws in the jurisdictions they are flying to and from.
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.
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