TSA finds loaded handgun in carry-on at Appleton International Airport

GREENVILLE - Security officers intercepted a loaded handgun from being brought on a plane Sunday at the Appleton International Airport, the Transportation Security Administration said.

TSA officers spotted the gun in a carry-on luggage while it went through routine X-ray screening at 5:30 a.m.

Once the weapon was spotted, the Outagamie County Sheriff's Office was immediately notified and the conveyor belt was stopped until law enforcement arrived and secured the gun.

“Bringing a firearm to a security checkpoint not only slows down the individuals in that lane, but it slows everyone in line behind them down and is a security and safety concern," Wisconsin TSA Federal Security Director Mark Lendvay said in a press release. "Guns should never be brought to the security checkpoint in carry-on luggage.”

Passengers can travel with guns in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter. However, a TSA firearm violation can result in a fine as high as $14,950. The TSA didn't indicate what happened with the passenger.

This is the eighth firearm detected at the Appleton airport this year. There have been multiple other instances of improperly packed or undeclared firearms in checked bags at the airport in 2023, according to TSA.

That is an increase from 2022 when only two guns were detected at airport security checkpoints.

Sophia Voight is a local government and politics reporter with The Post-Crescent. She can be reached with feedback and tips at svoight@postcrescent.com.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: TSA finds loaded hangun at Appleton International Airport