Stun gun found by Bradley TSA agents in passenger's bag

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn — A stun gun in a woman's handbag was found last week by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Bradley International Airport, according to a social media post.

The stun gun, a little larger than a flip phone, was found during a security screening on Wednesday. Connecticut State Police responded and confiscated the item.

TSA officials reminded passengers to pack items like this in checked baggage only, not carry-on luggage.

On August 3, TSA officers at Tweed New Haven Airport prevented a man from bringing a loaded handgun onto an airplane. Upon checking the 46-year-old man's backpack, TSA discover a loaded 9mm with a round chamber.

The South Carolina resident stated that he was in a rush and forgot to put the firearm into his checked luggage, according to TSA. This mistake caused the passenger to miss his flight.

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As of June, the TSA said the officers found 19 firearms at New England security checkpoints in 2023 - including three at Bradley Airport. In 2022, TSA officers detected a record of 47 firearms at New England security checkpoints.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, officials reserve the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded gun into a checkpoint is $3,000 and can go as high as $15,000 depending on any mitigating circumstances.

This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane.

The complete list of civil penalties can be found here. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter.

Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at [email protected].

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