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Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson, Lisa FarbsteinannouncedWednesday that the TSA at New York’s LaGuardia Airport flagged down a man whose carry-on bag triggered an alarm while being X-rayed at one of the security checkpoints.
Photos the TSA shared alongside the release showed 17 9mm bullets on a metal counter along with a white unwrapped diaper and a blue wrapper.
“Apparently this guy needs a bullet-proof plan for packing his carry-on bag before heading to the airport for his next flight,” the TSA said in a statement.
The man, who was identified as a resident of Arkansas, initially claimed to TSA officials that he did not know how the diaper with bullets got inside his carry-on bag and blamed his girlfriend for putting it inside his luggage.
People who are caught unlawfully bringing unloaded firearms on a carry-on can face a fine between $1,500 - $5,370 and a criminal referral, according to the TSA’scivil enforcement page.
The TSA noted that ammunition for a gun may be transported, but it needs to be placed in a check-in bag at the airport, according to the agency’swebsite. The ammunition also needs to be placed securely in a fiber, wood, plastic or metal box “specifically designed to carry ammunition” and must be declared with the check-in item.
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Several similar instances of travelers trying to bring a gun or ammunition in their carry-on bags have already happened this year. According to theAssociated Press, TSA officers found 13 bullets hidden in a Mentos chewing gum container inside a carry-on bag last month.
In January, the TSA announced that its officers at John F. Kennedy International Airport also found parts of a handgun “artfully concealedin two smooth creamy jars of peanut butter,” just ahead of the 2022 Christmas holiday.
source: people.com
