SEA-TAC, Wash. — On Tuesday TSA officers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) found three loaded firearms and an inert grenade during routine passenger screenings.
Around 5:15 a.m. a man was found with a loaded .45 caliber Glock handgun in his carry-on. He was headed to Newark, NJ.
The second firearm, a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P 9 pistol, was found in a man’s carry-on at around 8:30 a.m. He was headed to Spokane, WA.
Then around 10:20 p.m. a loaded 9mm Canik TP9 Elite SC pistol was found in the carry-on of a female passenger. She was headed to San Antonio.
All three passengers met with Port of Seattle Police and were eventually allowed to continue traveling. We don’t know if they were allowed to take their guns.
TSA says a grenade was also found in a passenger’s carry-on at SEA on Tuesday. It was found to be inert. We don’t know if that passenger was permitted to continue traveling. Grenades are not permitted in carry-on or checked bags.
Passengers are allowed to transport unloaded firearms on commercial airplanes if they are locked in a hard-sided case and placed in checked baggage.
Travelers are asked to use a non-compliant TSA lock on the case to ensure that only the owner of the firearm has access to it during their travels.
Guns are never permitted in carry-on bags, this includes replicas.
So far in 2024, TSA officers at SEA have found 49 firearms in carry-on luggage and 91% of
those have been loaded.