TSA seizes loaded gun in carry-on bag at Tri-Cities Airport. Passenger was headed to Seattle

A loaded pistol was discovered in the carry-on bag of a man at the Tri-Cities Airport on Tuesday morning, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

It was the fifth firearm discovered in a carry-on bag by TSA at the Pasco airport so far this year, the same number that were found there in all of last year.

The gun discovered Tuesday was a 9 mm Ruger LC9 loaded with six rounds of ammunition.

A TSA officer spotted the image of the gun on the X-ray screen at 8:35 a.m. during routine screening of carry-on bags.

It was in the bag of a man with a ticket to travel to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The Port of Pasco Police Department confiscated the pistol and interviewed the traveler, whose name was not made public by TSA.

He missed his flight but was allowed to rebook on another flight after being cited under state law.

TSA also will consider a civil penalty against him.

The recommended civil penalty for a gun starts at $4,000, and the maximum is $13,333. Factors that may be considered in setting the penalty include whether the gun was loaded.

Guns can be transported on a commercial airplane only if they are not loaded, are packed in a locked, hard-sided case and are in checked baggage.

Ammunition and firearm parts — including firearm frames, receivers, clips and magazines — also are only allowed in checked baggage.

During the check-in process for checked bags, passengers need to declare guns, ammunition and any firearm parts.

This story was originally published July 10, 2019 at 10:38 AM.