Two men stopped Friday for having loaded handguns at Boise Airport security checkpoint
Transportation Security Administration officers stopped two men with loaded handguns from getting through security at the Boise Airport on Friday, according to a news release.
The two guns were found in passengers’ carry-on luggage during routine X-ray screening.
The first, a 9 mm Ruger P94 pistol loaded with 10 rounds, was found at around 5:30 a.m. Friday morning as a man was preparing to fly to Denver, the release said.
The second gun was found at around 10:25 a.m., in the luggage of a passenger traveling to Salt Lake City. The firearm was a 9 mm Springfield Armory with 13 loaded rounds, according to the release.
“There is no evidence that these travelers knew each other or (that) the incidents were related,” Lorie Dankers, a spokesperson for the TSA, said in an interview with the Idaho Statesman. “It appears to be a coincidence that both chose to bring a firearm to the security checkpoint on the same day within hours of each other.”
Officers with the Boise Airport Police Department interviewed the travelers and confiscated the weapons, the release said.
There have been no arrests or charges related to the incidents, said a spokesperson for the Boise Police Department, Haley Williams.
In such cases, violators are subject to TSA fines of between $2,050 and more than $10,000 per violation, the release said. Travelers may also have their TSA PreCheck status temporarily revoked.
“It’s a good reminder that this can be an expensive mistake,” said Dankers.
The incidents were referred to the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, the release said. A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Firearms can legally be transported on commercial aircraft if they are “unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and placed in checked baggage,” the release said.
So far this year, nine firearms have been found in carry-on luggage in Boise, according to the TSA. A total of 31 guns were found at the Boise Airport security checkpoint in 2021, and a record of 40 guns were found across the state.
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 2:07 PM.
