TSA reports first firearm detection of year at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport

Paul Feely, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·2 min read

Feb. 20—Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stopped a woman from carrying a firearm onto an airplane at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) on Monday, the first firearm detection this year by TSA officers at an MHT security checkpoint, officials said.

On Monday morning, at the main security checkpoint, TSA officers detected a firearm in a female passenger's carry-on bag.

TSA notified Londonderry police who responded and discovered an unloaded .380 caliber firearm. Police eventually took possession of the firearm, and the New Hampshire woman, 32, was allowed to continue on her trip, Daniel Velez, a regional spokesman for the TSA, said Tuesday.

"Our TSA officers continue to do a fantastic job preventing firearms from entering the secure area of the airport," said Kieran Flynn, TSA's Federal Security Director for New Hampshire. "Passengers who are traveling with firearms must ensure they are properly packed in their checked baggage. When an individual shows up at a checkpoint with a firearm it can slow or shut down security screening until the police resolve the incident."

In 2023 TSA discovered two firearms at MHT security checkpoints and one in 2022.

TSA officers at nine New England airports detected a record 52 firearms in 2023, five more than the previous record of 47 set in 2022.

In 2023, TSA New England screened more than 30.5 million individuals, which indicates the agency intercepted 1.7 firearms per million passengers, equaling last year's 1.7 per million passengers in 2022.

TSA officers detected 18 firearms at Logan Airport security checkpoints last year, down from 31 in 2022, Velez said.

TSA officers detected a total of 52 firearms at New England security checkpoints in 2023; the 18 at Logan, nine at Portland International Jetport, seven at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, four each at Bangor International Airport in Maine and Tweed Airport in New Haven, Conn., two each at Worcester Regional Airport, Portland International Airport in Maine, and MHT, and one at Augusta State Airport in Maine.

TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded gun into a checkpoint is $3,000 and can go as high as $15,000 depending on any mitigating circumstances.

This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter.

Checked firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked and packed separately from ammunition.