TSA: Two Women Arrested For Having Guns In Handbags At JFK Airport

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Two women were found with weapons in their handbags as they tried to pass through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints at John F. Kennedy International Airport Thursday morning.

A Chatham, N.Y. woman was found with a .40 caliber pistol in her handbag. It was unloaded, officials said. The unidentified woman was arrested on a weapons charge.

A Brooklyn woman was found with a CO2-powered BB gun in her bag. The woman was issued a summons and Port Authority Police were notified, officials said.

Officials don't think the cases are linked.

Weapons are not allowed in carry on bags, but can be transported in checked bags if they are unloaded, packed in a hard-side, locked case in a checked bag separate from ammunition, and declared to the airline, the TSA said.

TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said the agency has seen an uptick in the number of firearms at checkpoints.

"In 2014, there were more than 2,200 firearms caught at checkpoints nationwide which was about a 22 percent increase over 2013," Farbstein said.

"We wish we knew why people were continuing to bring firearms to checkpoints," Farbstein added. "People for the most part tell us that they forgot that they had their firearm with them. The second most common excuse is that their husband or their wife packed the firearm or packed their baggage."

For more information on how to legally transport guns, click here.