A starter pistol was confiscated from a woman Friday at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, one day after a Rochester man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers with a loaded handgun gun at the airport’s checkpoint.
When TSA officers saw what looked like an authentic handgun in the woman’s carry-on luggage at the checkpoint X-ray machine, they contacted Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police officers, who, like the previous day, responded and investigated.
The woman, who was headed to Phoenix, was permitted to catch her flight without the starter pistol. The incident had no impact on airport operations, TSA officials said.
The Rochester resident was charged with disorderly conduct and missed his flight to Orlando, though he was permitted to take a later flight, authorities said.
“Passengers are responsible for the contents of bags they bring to the security checkpoint, and TSA’s advice to passengers is to look through bags thoroughly before coming to the airport to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items,” said Derek “Rick” DePietro, TSA’s federal security director for Buffalo. He added that travelers can be fined up to $11,000 if they are caught with prohibited items at the airport.
Passengers can review the prohibited items list on the TSA home page, www.tsa.gov, where they can download the free MyTSA application, which includes the information.
email: lmichel@buffnews.com
When TSA officers saw what looked like an authentic handgun in the woman’s carry-on luggage at the checkpoint X-ray machine, they contacted Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police officers, who, like the previous day, responded and investigated.
The woman, who was headed to Phoenix, was permitted to catch her flight without the starter pistol. The incident had no impact on airport operations, TSA officials said.
The Rochester resident was charged with disorderly conduct and missed his flight to Orlando, though he was permitted to take a later flight, authorities said.
“Passengers are responsible for the contents of bags they bring to the security checkpoint, and TSA’s advice to passengers is to look through bags thoroughly before coming to the airport to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items,” said Derek “Rick” DePietro, TSA’s federal security director for Buffalo. He added that travelers can be fined up to $11,000 if they are caught with prohibited items at the airport.
Passengers can review the prohibited items list on the TSA home page, www.tsa.gov, where they can download the free MyTSA application, which includes the information.
email: lmichel@buffnews.com