Loaded Firearm Found In Baggage At Midway
By John Dodge
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Security details at Midway Airport have so far confiscated six firearms this year, equalling the total for all of 2014.
The latest seizure happened on Monday morning, when TSA workers found a loaded 9mm Taurus Millennium firearm in a 35-year-old male passenger's carry on baggage.
The man was attempting to board a flight to New York's LaGuardia Airport, when he was detained and charged by Chicago Police.
This is the sixth firearm discovered in carry-on luggage at MDW this year, equal to the total number of firearms discovered at MDW in all of 2014.
Firearms are prohibited in carry-on bags, but can be transported in checked bags if they are unloaded, properly packed and declared to the airline, according to a TSA news release.
Individuals who bring firearms to security checkpoints are referred to law enforcement and are subject to criminal penalties.
TSA imposes civil penalties ranging from $1,500 to $11,000 for a single violation of a firearm brought to a security checkpoint.
TSA discovered more than 1,800 firearms at checkpoints across the nation in 2013 and more than 2,200 firearms in 2014.