CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) — The Transportation Security Administration found a loaded firearm inside a passenger's carry-on bag at Corpus Christi International Airport Friday morning at their security screening checkpoint.
According to the TSA, the passenger's carry-on bag went through x-ray screening at the checkpoint and agents discovered a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver loaded with five rounds. Airport Police took possession of the firearm and took the passenger into custody.
The passenger was cited by Corpus Christi police and released.
TSA officials said this is the fifth firearm they have found at the Corpus Christi International Airport's security checkpoint this year. A total of eight firearms were found there in 2017.
Firearms are not allowed in carry-on bags at or through airport security checkpoints. Firearms can be transported in a checked bag that is declared to the airline at the ticket counter and properly packed in a locked, hard-sided container. Firearm parts, ammunition, and realistic replicas also are not allowed through security checkpoints, but can be transported in checked bags. Some airline policies for taking a firearm in a checked bag may differ from TSA's, so travelers should contact their airline for specific firearm and ammunition policies and to check local laws related to the carrying and transport of firearms.
TSA found a record-breaking 3,957 firearms at airport security checkpoints around the country in 2017, a 17-percent increase over 2016.
TSA has the authority to levy a civil penalty of up to $13,000 against a passenger who brings a firearm to the checkpoint. The average penalty for a loaded firearm is about $4,000; the average for an unloaded firearm is about half that amount. Any determination about a criminal charge is up to law enforcement.
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