Transportation Security Administration officers at the Boise Airport say they found three loaded guns in the past three days during the routine screening of carry-on luggage belonging to departing travelers.
About 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, a TSA officer found a .45 caliber Smith & Wesson M&P pistol -- loaded
with six rounds -- in a carry-on bag belonging to a passenger traveling to the Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport.
On Wednesday, Dec. 5 at about 8:30 a.m., a .40 caliber Glock 23 -- loaded with eleven rounds -- was discovered in a carry-on luggage belonging to a passenger traveling to Salt Lake.
And on Thursday, Dec. 6 at about 5:15 a.m., a TSA officer discovered a 9 mm LH9-MKII semiautomatic
pistol -- loaded with thirteen rounds -- in a carry-on baggage belonging to a passenger headed to Denver.
“One gun in carry-on luggage is one too many. With the discovery of three firearms in three days at Boise Airport, it is a stark reminder to follow rules for traveling with a firearm to make sure
it is a happy and safe holiday season” said Andy Coose, TSA Federal Security Director for Idaho.
TSA officers say they have discovered a total of 22 firearms in travelers’ carry-on luggage at Boise Airport so far this year.
TSA remind passengers that firearms, ammunition, firearm parts and realistic replicas of firearms are always prohibited in carry-on baggage. However, these items can be transported in checked baggage -- provided the traveler declares them to the airline during the ticket counter check-in process, officials said.
If a passenger brings a firearm to the TSA security checkpoint, he or she could penalized with fines that could go as high as $9,800.
All three incidents have been referred to the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney for review.
