TSA: Woman had loaded gun while escorting a child at the Salisbury Airport
Authorities say they found a loaded gun in a woman's possession while she was escorting her child to a flight, in Wicomico County.
The Transportation Security Authority (TSA) at Salisbury Regional Airport says on Wednesday, they stopped a Salisbury woman who requested that the airline provide her with a "gate pass" for the purpose of escorting her child to the gate for a flight. Authorities say the woman was not ticketed to fly.
According to the report, the woman was found to be in possession of a .38 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets, including one in the chamber. TSA reports that the gun was detected when the woman's bag entered the TSA checkpoint x-ray machine, where it was spotted by a TSA officer who was staffing the x-ray monitor.
Officials say this the first firearm detected at the airport this year. In June 2017, Delaware Senator Brian Pettyjohn was charged after authorities found a loaded handgun in his carry on bag at the airport, in Wicomico County.
The Wicomico County Sheriff's Office was apparently notified and they responded to the checkpoint, detaining the woman for questioning. Deputies tell 47ABC that the woman was not arrested as a result of the incident.
TSA says firearms are not allowed onto airplanes and even travelers with permits are not allowed to bring the weapon onto an airplane.
TSA has the authority to assess civil penalties of up to $13,000 for weapons violations and a typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $3,900, officials say.
