Loaded assault rifle, 163 rounds of ammo packed in carry-on in New Orleans, TSA says

A passenger was stopped in a security checkpoint when a loaded assault rifle and ammunition were found in his carry-on bag on Valentine’s Day, officials said.

A loaded Palmetto PA-15 Multi AR firearm with 30 rounds of ammunition was confiscated from the 52-year-old Jefferson, Louisiana man, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Officials said he also had five additional loaded magazines for a total of 163 rounds of ammunition when he tried to go through security at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

“Passengers need to focus on what is inside their carry-ons before entering our checkpoint,” TSA Federal Security Director Arden Hudson said in a statement Feb. 17. “The introduction of a loaded weapon poses an unnecessary risk to both the traveling public and our employees.”

Officials said the man had the weapon and ammunition when he tried to go through security before getting on a flight from New Orleans to Houston.

The man faces a civil penalty from the TSA that could reach as high as $15,000, officials said.

The loaded rifle was the second gun confiscated Feb. 14, and a handgun was confiscated on Feb. 16, bringing the total number of firearms stopped by the TSA to 14 at the New Orleans airport.

Officials said 13 of the 14 firearms have been found loaded.

“If you are going to travel with your gun it must be in your checked bag, but be sure you know exactly what the gun laws are on each side of your trip,” Hudson said in the release. “Guns may not be legal to transport even in checked baggage in some jurisdictions.”

In 2021, 119 guns were found in luggage at the New Orleans Airport, and the airport was in the top 10 airports nationally for “passengers violating federal law by bringing a firearm to the security checkpoint.”

That number decreased in 2022 to 90 guns but still remained high when compared nationally.

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