NEW YORK — A woman attempted to go through security at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York with nine boxes of ammunition on Tuesday, according to officials.
The Transportation Security Administration said in a press release that a woman was stopped by their officers at JFK Airport for trying to carry 400 bullets onto her flight. The bullets were a variety of ammunition for shotguns and handguns including 12-gauge, .308 caliber, .233 caliber and 9 mm. TSA officers confiscated the ammunition from the woman and gave her a citation.
PIX11 says the woman told officers that ammunition belongs to her son and she accidentally grabbed the wrong bag on her way to the airport. TSA says the bag she grabbed was slightly heavy and the ammunition took up a lot of the space in her bag.
“This is an excellent opportunity to remind travelers that it is always best to start with a completely empty bag when packing for a flight to ensure that you don’t have any prohibited items inside. Not only is it important to know that you have not packed anything prohibited or illegal into your luggage, it is just as important to know which bag is yours to ensure you are familiar with its contents,” said John Bambury, TSA’s Federal Security Director for JFK International Airport.
The woman will be facing a federal civil penalty for bringing the ammunition to a TSA checkpoint, PIX11 says.
The TSA says if you are planning to travel with firearms and ammunition, there is a safe way to do so, explained at tsa.gov.