Maine TSA finds hatchet, homemade gun in passenger’s carry-on bag

A passenger was caught final week trying to board a flight in Maine with a hatchet and a selfmade gun in his carry-on bag, based on TSA. 

TSA officers on the Portland Worldwide Jetport in Portland, Maine, found the objects on Tuesday. Portland Police responded and confiscated the firearm, New England TSA spokesman Daniel Velez stated. 

Velez informed MassLive that the passenger was a 50-year-old man headed to Philadelphia. He was allowed to maintain the hatchet however needed to transfer it to his checked baggage. 

TSA says police confiscated the selfmade firearm. 
(TSA)

Velez stated this was the third firearm detection on the Portland Worldwide Jetport in Portland this 12 months. 

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The invention got here simply days forward of an announcement from TSA that it has recorded a file variety of firearms discovered at airport safety checkpoints nationwide this 12 months. 

As of Dec. 16, a TSA press launch states, the company has prevented 6,301 firearms from getting previous safety checkpoints this 12 months – including that greater than 88% of them had been loaded. That’s up from 5,972 firearms detected at safety checkpoints final 12 months. 

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TSA can be growing the utmost civil penalty for a firearms violation to $14,950, which is decided on a case-by-case foundation “primarily based on the circumstances in every case.”

Fox Information’ Adam Sabes contributed to this report.