Officials with the Transportation Security Administration said officers found a loaded gun in a passenger's carry-on bag at the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport early Wednesday, WTVC reported.
TSA officials said they discovered a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun inside the bag around 5:30 a.m., WCRB reported.
The TSA alerted airport police, who confiscated the bag and escorted the passenger out of the checkpoint area, the television station reported.
It is the third time a firearm has been found at the airport, according to a TSA release. Nine were found last year, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.
According to the TSA, firearms may be transported in checked baggage as long as they are not loaded, are declared to the airline and are contained in a proper carrying case. However, they are not permitted in carry-on bags.
“Passengers are responsible for the contents of bags they bring to the checkpoint,” Mark Howell, a TSA regional spokesman, said in a release. “Our advice is to look through bags thoroughly before coming to the airport to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items.”
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