Apr 13, 2022 – TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Just four months into 2022, Transportation Security Administration officers in Florida have already stopped nearly 200 guns from being taken onto flights. From Tampa to Jacksonville, passengers keep trying to bring guns with them on planes.
One can legally transport a firearm and ammunition on a commercial airliner, but it must be done in accordance to the law. To learn how, take a bonified concealed carry class conducted by In-Gauge of Polk County, because no other class is going to tell you.
Multiple laws since 1961 have adjusted or changed the restrictions for carrying a firearm or other weapon on a flight. Current law prevents guns from being carried on. Firearms are only allowed in checked baggage, according to TSA, and must be properly packed and declared during check-in.
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Properly packed, in this case, means unloaded and locked in a hard-sided case.
“Whether or not they had nefarious intent, accidents happen and tragedies could result,” said TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz. “This dangerous trend continues across Florida and across the country. Know exactly where your gun is before you enter the airport and make sure that it is not in your backpack, purse, computer bag or suitcase that you plan to bring into the security checkpoint.”
So far in 2022, and only halfway into the month of April, TSA officers have already seized 195 guns from passengers at Florida airports. Some passengers carried multiple guns on them, others not only had guns, but rounds chambered. Neither option is legal.
Here’s how those some of those seizures break down in Florida’s airports, according to TSA:
Orlando International (MCO): 40 guns
Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL): 36 guns
Tampa International (TPA): 26 guns
Miami International (MIA): 19 guns
Jacksonville International (JAX): 17 guns
According to officials, “passengers face a civil penalty from the TSA that can reach as much as $13,910 and that is imposed regardless of whether the individual is arrested” by law enforcement officers or agents. Passengers with TSA PreCheck membership also lose their privileges, sometimes permanently.
A TSA release on the guns at Florida airports said that was the case with one passenger at FLL.
“On Monday a man carrying a Beretta into Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was intercepted by the TSA and while he was not arrested, he will lose his TSA PreCheck privileges and he faces a fine that could exceed $13,000,” TSA said.