Community Corner

Loaded Handgun Found in Employee's Bag at JWA

The man is an airline employee and was traveling to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Security officials at John Wayne Airport on Monday found a loaded handgun in a passenger's carry-on bag during the X-ray screening passengers undergo, a Transportation Safety Administration spokesman said.

The passenger is an airline employee and admitted to owning the gun but said he "did not realize the firearm was still in his bag,"  TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said. The Smith and Wesson .38 Special was loaded with five rounds of ammunition. 

Orange County sheriff's deputies cited and released the passenger. He was cleared to fly and was traveling aboard American Airlines to Dallas-Fort Worth, Melendez said.

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Passengers may transport their weapons through checked baggage as long as the weapon is declared to the airline, in the proper carrying case and unloaded, he said.

In another incident Monday at JWA,  security officers found a
single round of .22-caliber ammunition in the pocket of a
carry-on bag of a man traveling to Seattle. The passenger told TSA officers the bag belonged to his 9-year-old son, who had recently been shooting with a family member and must have accidentally left the ammunition inside the bag, Melendez said.

The passenger was cleared to fly by OCSD, and there was no impact to
security operations during either incident.

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Earlier this month,  were found in a passenger's bag, and in April, security officials at John Wayne  in passengers' bags in three separate incidents.

Melendez reminded passengers to look through luggage before packing to prevent unnecessary delays at security screening. For TSA travel tips,  click here.


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