HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — A Harrisburg woman was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers after she was found to have a loaded handgun at Harrisburg International Airport on May 23.

According to a TSA spokesperson, officers detected the loaded 9mm handgun in the woman’s carry-on bag. The TSA states that the gun was detected as the woman was entering the security checkpoint of the airport.

According to the TSA, Harrisburg International Airport officers have caught four guns at the security checkpoint in 2023 as of May 23. TSA states that the woman faces a financial penalty from the administration which can reach up to $15,000.

“The Memorial Day holiday may be several days away, but the summer holiday travel season has started,” said Karen Keys Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Our officers are good at their jobs and are staying vigilant to keep all travelers safe and secure. Airports are congested, people are eager to travel and this is no time to be carrying prohibited or illegal items in your carry-on bag.”

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

“Gun owners have a responsibility to know where their firearms are at all times and know that they should not be in a carry-on bag,” Keys Turner added. “It is concerning that most people who are stopped at TSA checkpoints with a firearm tell us that they forgot that they had it with them. Travelers need to come to the airport prepared to go through the security screening process and that means knowing the contents of their carry-on bags and knowing that there are no prohibited items inside.”

More information about how firearms should be packed for travel can be found here.

According to the TSA over 6,500 firearms were caught at 262 airport security checkpoints nationwide in 2022.