The Transportation Security Administration announced Tuesday that one of its officers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) stopped an airline employee from attempting to bring a loaded handgun through security.
The employee was randomly selected for screening.
TSA officials said that an employee was randomly selected for a screening on November 2.
During the screening, TSA said an officer saw a handgun on the X-ray and alerted airport police.
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According to an airport official, the handgun was loaded at the time of the screening, and they did not specifically identify the employee's role but did say they are a "flight-based" worker with SkyWest Airlines.
"Our officers are focused on ensuring that firearms and other weapons do not make it through our security checkpoints," said Marty Robinson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Minnesota. "I’m grateful that our officers here and nationwide remain vigilant during this busy travel season. Firearms should never be brought to the security checkpoint in carry-on luggage, and airline employees should certainly be aware of that."
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According to TSA, this is now the 49th firearm stopped at MSP so far this year. Last year, officials say 58 firearms were detected at MSP security checkpoints, and 56 were stopped in 2021.
