Williamsville man detained after trying to board plane with handgun in

Nov. 13—A Williamsville man with a loaded handgun in his carry-on was stopped from boarding an airplane at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport on Tuesday.

Transportation Security Administration officials said the man was in possession of a 9mm handgun was loaded with 11 bullets, including one in the chamber.

When the checkpoint X-ray unit triggered an alarm on the contents of the carry-on bag, TSA officers who viewed the X-ray image spotted the firearm and halted the screening process. They immediately notified the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police (NFTA) who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the gun and detained the man for questioning.

Due to the passenger possessing a valid New York State pistol permit, law enforcement cited the man with a Notice of Violation on a weapons charge and later allowed him to leave the airport with his firearm.

Guns are not permitted to be carried into or through the security checkpoint and now in addition to the criminal citation, the man also faces a stiff financial civil penalty from TSA. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.

“I would like to acknowledge my appreciation to the TSA officers who took quick action and to the NFTA police officers who responded to the checkpoint and ensured that the man did not retain control of his loaded gun,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Upstate New York.

“Bringing a loaded firearm to a checkpoint represents a threat and potentially dangerous situation to everyone in the vicinity,” Johnson added. “I hope that others learn from this traveler’s mistake.”

The TSA has now intercepted four people carrying firearms in the Buffalo airport this year. In 2023, seven guns were intercepted by TSA officials.

Passengers are only permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage. Firearms must be unloaded then packed in a hard-sided locked case. The locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.

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