A loaded gun was discovered in a passenger's carry-on bag Monday afternoon at Columbia Metropolitan Airport.
/ TSA
COLUMBIA (WACH) - A loaded gun was discovered in a passenger's carry-on bag Monday afternoon at Columbia Metropolitan Airport.
The Transportation Security Administration says a loaded .380 caliber gun was found in a passenger's carry-on bag during an x-ray screening around 3 p.m. Monday.
According to the incident report, Jassen Robert Volk, 39, was cited on a local charge for violation of airport rules and regulations after airport police took the bag.
Volk told officers that he randomly carried a gun in the bag, but did not think it there was a gun in the bag at the time. He possessed a South Carolina concealed weapons permit.
"Passengers should look through bags toroughly before coming to the airport to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items," said Jon Allen, TSA spokesman.
Guns are allowed in checked luggage if they are declared to the airline, unloaded, and secured in a carrying case.
The TSA found more than 1,300 guns at checkpoints nationwide last year.
Passengers who bring guns to an airport checkpoint face civil penalties from the TSA along with potential criminal charges.
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