Pennsylvania man caught with loaded gun in carry-on bag at PHL

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A Berks County, Pennsylvania, man tried to bring a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage at Philadelphia International Airport on Monday, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

TSA officers cited a Mohnton man Monday at PHL after detecting a .45 caliber gun in his carry-on bag.

According to the TSA, the gun was loaded with 11 bullets, including one in the chamber.

The TSA said the man faces a federal civil penalty and a criminal citation.

"Bringing a loaded gun to an airport security checkpoint introduces an unnecessary security risk to our officers and to fellow travelers," Gerardo Spero, TSA's federal security director for the airport, said in a news release. "We have no issues with people who pack their firearms properly for a flight. Bringing a loaded handgun to our checkpoints isn't the way to do it."

Spero said the best way to pack an unloaded gun is to have it in a locked hard-sided case.

"Then take the case to your airline check-in counter and declare that you want to travel with it," Spero added. "The airline will make sure it is transported in the belly of the plane so that nobody has access to it during the flight. It's a fairly simple process."

Civil penalties for bringing a gun through airport security can cost thousands of dollars and could lead to arrest, the TSA said.

As of Monday, Philadelphia International Airport said it's caught 18 firearms this year at TSA checkpoints. In 2023, the agency set a record with 45 guns seized .

By CBS News Philadelphia intern Olivia Dunne