DETROIT – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers prevented five guns from being carried onto Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) airplanes in four days.
The incident spans back to Thursday (March 30), with three of the five handguns being stopped in less than 90 minutes last weekend.
One woman asked a TSA agent if he could give her something that he had forgotten that was on him (his gun) before being scanned.
Three of the other four incidents occurred Friday (March 31) between 6:20 a.m. and 7:45 a.m., and the fourth on Sunday (April 2), when the X-ray screen was during the routine screening of some carry-on luggage.
Police at the airport confiscated the loaded guns and cited the travelers.
“Although it’s extremely troubling that so many passengers continue to make this careless, expensive mistake, the general public should feel safer knowing that the TSA officers in Detroit continue to perform their jobs exceptionally well and are stopping these firearms from going past the checkpoint,” said Michigan TSA Acting Federal Security Director Bill Byrne. “When dangerous items such as loaded guns are brought to a security checkpoint, it represents a serious security and safety concern. Remember that a concealed carry permit or enrollment in the TSA PreCheck program are not exemptions from this policy.”
So far, including the five that have been confiscated, officials say 28 guns have been detected at DTW checkpoints.
There were 100 guns confiscated in 2022 and 94 in 2021.
Officials say the penalty for bringing weapons to the airport can go as high as $14,950.
