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TSA officers located three handguns on three separate occasions from going onboard airplanes at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in the span of a week.
According to WDIV 4, the first incident occurred on Wednesday (July 14), and two other incidents happened on Friday (July 16).
TSA said during the first incident, officers spotted the handgun in carry-on luggage through the x-ray machine around 5 a.m. The gun was loaded and had a round in the chamber. It was also noted that the traveler did have a concealed-carry permit. TSA officials alerted the Wayne County Airport Police about the gun.
The next incident that took place on July 16 happened around 10 a.m. This firearm was on the passenger and located during a screening. The gun was loaded with a chamber in the round. The passenger said he forgot to take his gun out of his pocket and store it in his car.
The last incident happened around 8:45 p.m. The third firearm was found on the x-ray machine during a routine screening of carry-on luggage.
So far this year, there have been 36 firearms detected at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
Officials can impose civil penalties of up to $13,910 per violation. Usually, the first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100. In addition, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck, they will lose their TSA PreCheck for a period of time.
Passengers can travel with firearms in checked baggage, but they must be unloaded and packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case. They must also be declared at the airline check-in counter.
To learn more about how to travel with a firearm properly, TSA has details online.