With four more months to go until the end of the year, the number of firearms found by TSA officials at the Boise Airport this year has already eclipsed the number found in all of 2016.
Last year, security personnel at the Boise Airport found 18 guns in carry-on bags. On Wednesday, a woman bound for Phoenix passing through security at the airport had a loaded Smith & Wesson Bodyguard revolver in her bag. It was the 20th firearm found in a carry-on this year, and the second discovered this August.
Sean Briggs, marketing manager at the Boise Airport, reminds us that, “Idaho is an open carry state, but you cannot open carry through the airport.”
He recommends double checking your bag. “Ensure you don’t have any prohibited items when you’re coming and flying out of the Boise Airport,” he says.
Briggs points travelers to the TSA’s website if they have any questions as to what can or can’t be taken on a flight. While items like knives and guns are obviously not cabin friendly, Briggs says another item found in a carry-on within the last year also was a no-go.
“I think it’s called a bat-erang,” he offers hesitatingly. “It looks like a Batman symbol but it’s like a throwing star, and those, obviously, are not permitted. Big shocker there, right?”
While the TSA doesn’t have a dedicated bat-erang policy, when it comes to guns in carry-ons, there’s a process.
When a firearm is detected at the security checkpoint, TSA officials alert Boise Police stationed at the airport. The weapon is confiscated, and the individual carrying the gun is detained by authorities. Penalties are decided on a case-by-case basis, but a loaded firearm at an airport security checkpoint could result in the owner paying up to $7,500 in TSA fines. According to an Idaho State Police spokesperson, no state laws are on the books prohibiting concealed carry in airports.
This story is part of Wanna Know Idaho, a listener-generated project at KBSX and came from Robert Pori who wanted to know what happens to people if they bring a firearm to the airport. We welcome and want to hear more of your ideas. Keep those questions coming in the box below!
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