Thread: 4 Loaded Guns, 192 Rounds of Ammo, and 3 Knives - 1 passenger

Monday, March 26, 2012

4 Loaded Guns, 192 Rounds of Ammo, and 3 Knives (Not in a Pear Tree)

If you read our Week in Review posts here on the TSA Blog, you know that it’s not uncommon for our officers to find guns, knives, ammo, and even the occasional debrainer.

However, we’re not used to finding so many things on one passenger. At Sacramento (SMF) last week, a passenger was taking off his coat when an officer noticed he was wearing a shoulder holster with a loaded 9mm pistol in it. Yes, it has happened in the past where passengers have simply forgotten they had a firearm, but after our officers were finished searching the rest of his property, here is what was found:

•Two loaded 9mm pistols
•Two loaded .25 caliber pistols
•192 rounds of ammo along with two magazines
•3 knives

Did you know that TSA officers discovered 101 guns last month? You can travel with your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline. You can go here for more details on how to properly travel with your firearms. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure.

Blogger Bob Burns
TSA Blog Team

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in our Off Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog post archives or search our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by using Talk to TSA.

posted by Blogger Bob at 3/26/2012 04:32:00 PM

The TSA Blog: 4 Loaded Guns, 192 Rounds of Ammo, and 3 Knives (Not in a Pear Tree)

Man caught carrying small arsenal at TSA checkpoint makes court appearance

Wed, 2012-03-28 08:54 AM
By: Mark Rockwell

A man who tried to carry four loaded handguns and three knives past a TSA checkpoint at the Sacramento, CA airport recently made his initial court appearance on March 27.

The man, who local news reports identified as 45-year-old Montana resident Harold Waller, appeared “sweaty and fidgeting” when he approached a U.S. Airways desk at the airport on March 22 and asked the agent for a ticket to “anywhere in Alaska,” according to the FBI criminal complaint and affidavit filed after the incident.

U.S. Airways booked Waller on a flight to Phoenix with a connection to Anchorage, according to an FBI statement.

That’s where things got even more alarming. At the security checkpoint in the airport’s Terminal A, Transportation Security Administration agents spotted a gun in one of Waller's three carry-on bags. According to TSA, when Waller removed his coat for screening, he had a loaded 9 mm handgun strapped into a shoulder holster. Upon further inspection of his carry-on luggage in the checkpoint x-ray machine, in addition to the two 9 mm pistols, TSA agents found two .25 caliber handguns, 192 rounds of ammunition, two magazine clips, and three knives. TSA’s Blogger Bob Burns said the sheer volume of weapons on a single person was extremely unusual.

An FBI affidavit said law enforcement agents found two additional loaded assault rifles and a "high volume" of ammunition, in Waller's vehicle. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said it found eight guns – a combination of rifles and handguns along with ammunition – in the vehicle.

The Associated Press reported that Waller’s mother had said he was suffering from a mental illness, possibly extreme depression.

Waller appeared before a federal judge in Sacramento on March 26 on concealed weapons charges. He is scheduled for another court appearance on March 29. If convicted, he faces a 10 year prison sentence in federal prison.

Man caught carrying small arsenal at TSA checkpoint makes court appearance | Government Security News