By Steve Neavling
The TSA has grown accustomed to findings guns on passengers at airports.
In fact, the TSA intercepted a record 6,542 guns at airports in the U.S. last year.
But what TSA officers discovered on a passenger at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Valentine’s Day was unusual.
The 52-year-old passenger from Jefferson, La., was carrying a Palmetto PA-15 Multi AR firearm loaded with 30 rounds of .300 caliber ammunition. An additional five magazines were also loaded, with a total of 163 rounds in the carry-on.
“Threat detection is our mission and our dedicated workforce is protecting the traveling public every day,” TSA Federal Security Director Arden Hudson said in a news release Friday. “Passengers need to focus on what is inside their carry-ons before entering our checkpoint. The introduction of a loaded weapon poses an unnecessary risk to both the traveling public and our employees.”
A Jefferson Parish sheriff’s deputy took control of the weapon and ammunition.
It was the second firearm intercepted on Valentine’s Day at the airport, bringing the total number of firearms seized there at 14.
In 2021, TSA officers intercepted 119 guns at the airport.
“If you are going to travel with your gun it must be in your checked bag, but be sure you know exactly what the gun laws are on each side of your trip,” said Hudson, who leads TSA’s operations across the State of Louisiana. “Guns may not be legal to transport even in checked baggage in some jurisdictions.”
