NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
The Transportation Security Administration discovered a firearm at the checkpoint at Nashville International Airport Thursday evening.
The loaded .357 Magnum was discovered in a passenger's carry-on bag at approximately 5:45 p.m.
Airport police were alerted, took possession of the bag and cited the passenger.
While firearms may be transported in checked baggage as long as they are declared with the airline, in a proper carrying case and unloaded, they are prohibited in carry-on bags, according to TSA policy.
The gun is the fourth firearm discovered at Nashville's airport checkpoint this year.
Approximately 40 firearms were discovered by TSA in Nashville in 2011, double the amount from 2010, according to TSA spokesman Jon Allen.
He added a total of 1,238 firearms were discovered at TSA checkpoints throughout the country, compared to around 800 in 2008.
"Passengers are responsible for the contents of bags they bring to the checkpoint," TSA spokesman Jon Allen said. "Our advice is to look through bags thoroughly before coming to the airport to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items."
"I'm glad that they caught it for the safety of the passengers and the people around them," Julie Walker said Friday while picking up her husband at the airport.
She continued, "They either think they are above the law, or they are so comfortable carrying it they didn't realize they had it on them, maybe."
Shelby French added, "I don't want to get on a plane with a loaded gun."
Friday morning, a law enforcement source at the airport told Nashville's News 2 Investigates a 7.5 inch knife was found in a man's carry-on bag.
In addition to potential criminal charges, passengers who bring weapons to a checkpoint face civil penalties from TSA.
Read more at TSA.gov.
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