An 86-year-old New Hampshire man raised eyebrows and alarms at Logan Airport when he was stopped by security with a handgun, bullets, and a pocketknife in his carry-on on Saturday. It was a security check that uncovered the unloaded .38 cal pistol along with five rounds and the blade, as the Transportation Security Administration confirmed.
The elderly traveler told Massachusetts State Police – who swooped in to deal with the matter – he'd intended to check the gun instead of carrying it on board. Despite the mix-up, the man was allowed to go on his way after the gun was confiscated, a detail noted by both the Boston.com and CBS Boston reports.
This curious incident marked Logan Airport’s first discovery of a firearm in 2024, spotlighting a continuous concern after last year’s reports of 18 guns at Logan and a record-breaking 6,737 firearms found at airports nationwide. These numbers indicate an upward trend that keeps TSA agents on high alert, as stressed by TSA's Federal Security Director for Massachusetts Bob Allison, who voiced a warning in a statement obtained by Boston.com, "I strongly urge all gun owners to ensure they know where their firearm is before traveling to the airport."
Firearm mishaps like these come at a price. Violators stumble into a $3,000 fine the first time they're caught with a gun at security, with the penalty ballooning up to $15,000 based on circumstances. TSA's website reinforces that firearms can indeed travel by air, but only as checked luggage and within a locked hard-sided container. This elderly gentleman’s oversight, as captured by the CBS Boston story, put him at risk of joining the ranks of those who have learned that lesson the costly way.
