Transportation Security Administration agents at New York City's LaGuardia Airport found 17 bullets "artfully concealed" inside a baby’s diaper after a man’s carry-on bag triggered an alarm at a security checkpoint.
The TSA said the man, a resident of Arkansas, first told officials Wednesday that "he did not know how the bullet-filled diaper came to be in his carry-on bag" before claiming that "his girlfriend must have put it in his bag."
"Inside the diaper, TSA officers unwrapped 17 bullets that had been artfully concealed inside the otherwise clean disposable baby diaper," the TSA said.
The Port Authority Police cited the traveler with unlawful possession of the 9mm ammunition.
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"Apparently this guy needs a bullet-proof plan for packing his carry-on bag before heading to the airport for his next flight," the TSA quipped in a press release.
The same day, the TSA announced that its agents at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, prevented a Maryland man from bringing his handgun onto an aircraft.
The .40 caliber gun was loaded with 10 bullets and the man said he had "forgot he had his gun with him," according to the TSA.
"It marked the 38th gun that TSA officers at the airport have detected at the checkpoints so far this year, which is the most guns caught in a single year and follows a national trend in seeing a spike in the number of travelers who are bringing guns to airport checkpoints across the country," the TSA added. "The previous high number of firearms stopped at the airport in a single year was 30, which took place in 2021."
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The man involved in that incident, who is from Rockville, was cited on a weapons charge.
"This is the time of year that we expect to see travelers carrying gifts, cookies and cakes to our checkpoints, but what we’re seeing are too many guns. It’s inexcusable and disappointing to continue to see so many travelers carelessly bringing their firearms to checkpoints," John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, said in a statement. "Responsible gun owners know where their guns are at all times."
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The TSA says more than 6,000 handguns have been stopped at security checkpoints this year by TSA agents across the U.S., which is on pace to set a new annual record after 6,542 firearms were caught last year.
