TSA Loaded Gun Controversy: Woman Carries Firearm On Plane

A woman managed to carry a loaded gun past TSA agents during a recent flight from Florida to New Jersey, according to Yahoo! News. The weapon in question, a Ruger .380, is considered by many to be one of the easiest weapons to conceal. In fact, the woman who took the firearm on recent flight had reportedly forgotten about the piece tucked away inside her purse until she was already in the air.

The question remains: How did the woman manage to get the loaded gun by TSA security agents? The Transportation Security Administration doesn’t have any immediate answers to the inquiry.

“TSA is aware of this situation and is reviewing the circumstances,” TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein explained to the New York Daily News.

The unidentified woman, who is reportedly an Orlando firefighter, was quick to alert authorities to the situation when she landed in New Jersey. “She was visibly upset. She said she had a license to carry it and just forgot it,” authorities explained. “The [Port Authority] officer took possession of the handgun and made it safe.”

According to Good Morning America, this isn’t the first time a loaded gun has made it past TSA agents. One congressman stated that hundreds of prohibited and potentially dangerous items make it past screeners on a fairly regular basis. This news is certainly alarming for travelers who believe the Transportation Security Administration are preventing such things from occurring.

In order to assure fliers that the airways will be safe and sound during this holiday season, the TSA released the following statement to ABC News:

“TSA screens nearly 2 million people every day, including their carry-on and checked luggage. An average of four firearms are intercepted every day at airport checkpoints. This year alone, travelers have attempted to carry nearly 1,100 weapons through security and into the sterile area, attempts thwarted by TSA Officers.”

Are you concerned about the number of loaded guns that manage to make it past TSA agents at airports across the country?