by Transportation Security Administration officials in New Orleans prevented a Louisiana man from entering the secured area of the airport with a loaded AR-15 rifle. The passenger also had 163 rounds of ammunition in his carry-on when he tried to go through security.
A 52-year-old man from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, attempted to break into the secured area of the New Orleans airport on February 14, according to TSA. Searching the man’s carry-on luggage, officers discovered a rifle and several magazines, officials said.
.@TSA officers at @FlyNewOrleans STOPPED a passenger with THIS assault rifle and 163 rounds of ammo at the checkpoint. Your safety is our mission! Read more about this interception here: https://t.co/3ehdy7xGTl pic.twitter.com/9P1gLVREdv
— TSA_Gulf (@TSA_Gulf) February 17, 2023
A deputy from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office assigned to the airport assisted TSA officers in securing the loaded Palmetto PA-15 Multi AR rifle. Officials report that the rifle was loaded with 30 rounds of .300 caliber ammunition. They also found five loaded magazines in the bag.
Transportation Security Management
Photos released by the TSA also show a jackknife allegedly found among the confiscated guns.
Officers arrested the man and confiscated the bag containing the rifle and ammunition. He now faces a civil penalty of up to $15,000.
The man allegedly had a ticket to fly to Houston from New Orleans, the report said.
Officials say the discovery and seizure of firearms at the New Orleans airport is not uncommon. In fact, this was the second firearm found by TSA officers that day. Officers also seized a Glock pistol earlier in the day.
The report states that the above rifle is the 14th firearm found since January 1-13, or these were loaded at the time of discovery.
WFAA ABC8 reported the top 10 airports for gun seizures in 2022. The list includes three airports in Texas. The top 10 list includes:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: 448
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: 385
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston: 298
- Nashville International Airport: 213
- Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix: 196
- Orlando International Airport: 162
- Denver International Airport: 156
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport: 150
- Fort Lauderdale Airport 134
- Tampa International Airport: 131
Houston Hobby Airport also reported seizures of 125 guns but did not make the top 10 list. New Orleans Airport made the list in 2021 with the seizure of 119 guns.
“If you’re traveling with your gun, it must be in your checked baggage, but make sure you know exactly what gun laws apply on both sides of your trip,” Arden Hudson, the TSA’s federal security director, said in the written statement. Hudson oversees TSA’s operations throughout the state of Louisiana. “Carriage of guns may not even be legal in checked baggage in some countries.”
“Passengers need to focus on what’s in their carry-on baggage before entering our checkpoint,” Hudson added. “The introduction of a loaded gun poses an unnecessary risk to both the traveling public and our staff.”
Bob Price is Associate Editor and Senior News Contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist at Fox 26 Houston What are you getting at? Sunday morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX And Face
