CHICAGO (AP) - Transportation Security Administration officials say they confiscated a loaded handgun this week from a carry-on bag at Chicago’s Midway International Airport.
The .38-caliber weapon was spotted in a Las Vegas-bound passenger’s luggage Monday during a security checkpoint screening. TSA officers say they found a bullet in the chamber of the gun and immediately notified the Chicago Police Department.
Police confiscated the gun and arrested the 52-year-old passenger on a local charge.
TSA says the number of firearms brought to airport security checkpoints has risen over the years. Security officers detected nearly 4,000 firearms at airports across the nation in 2017. Travelers can face criminal charges and thousands of dollars in fines.
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