TSA stops passenger with machine gun and ammunition at New Orleans airport

RESIDENTS OF NEW ORLEANS – The agency said last week a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer stopped a passenger with a machine gun and 163 rounds of ammunition.

Officials said the 52-year-old passenger was transporting items on board a plane at New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) bound for Houston.

A representative of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office arrived and confiscated a Palmetto PA-15 Multi AR firearm loaded with 30 rounds of .300 caliber. Five more magazines were also found loaded.

The passenger now faces a civil penalty from the TSA, which could be fined nearly $15,000.

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“Threat detection is our mission, and our dedicated employees protect travelers every day,” Arden Hudson, director of the TSA Federal Security Service, said in a press release. “Passengers should focus on what is inside their hand luggage before entering our checkpoint. The use of a loaded weapon poses an unnecessary risk to both passengers and our employees.”

The incident was the second intercepted firearm on Valentine’s Day at MSY. A Glock was also confiscated the day before.

The Transportation Security Administration is raising the fine for people caught with guns in their carry-on luggage after intercepting a record number of firearms at security checkpoints in 2022.

On Friday, the TSA said it was raising the maximum fine to $14,950. It used to be $13,910.

In 2022, TSA officials found 6,301 firearms in hand luggage, surpassing the previous record of 5,972 found in 2021. This number has steadily increased over the past decade; in 2012, 1,549 firearms were found at checkpoints.

Firearms laws vary by location, but guns are never allowed in carry-on baggage at any airport security checkpoint, even if the passenger has a gun permit. Passengers carrying firearms must carry them in a closed case in their checked baggage. They also have to declare them to the airlines, the TSA said.

In addition to a fine, the amount of which is determined by the TSA based on the circumstances of each case, the TSA will revoke the right to pre-screening for at least five years for anyone caught with a weapon at a checkpoint. Passengers may also be arrested for firearms violations, depending on state or local laws in the area where the airport is located.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.