Don't carry guns, fliers warned

Federal and local law enforcers have issued a stern warning to airline passengers who bring guns, even accidentally, onto commercial airplanes.

"We take firearms and weapons at airports very seriously," U.S. Attorney for Utah Paul Warner said in a statement released Monday. "Take 30 seconds to screen your bags at home. We want you to end up making your flight, enjoying your holiday or business travel, and not spending time in jail facing potential prosecution."

In the last six months alone, Transportation Security Administration screeners have confiscated 22 guns and other weapons at checkpoints inside Salt Lake City International Airport.

The latest gun, a stolen .357 Magnum, was confiscated Sunday night from the carry-on bag of a passenger. The passenger told authorities he forgot the weapon was in his bag, said Earl Morris, TSA federal security director for Salt Lake City International. His excuse is a common one among many passengers caught with weapons in their carry-on baggage, officials said.

"There appears to be a certain level of apathy that is developing within the traveling public," Morris said. "I think it's irresponsible. If you don't know where your weapons are, it's irresponsible."

Airport officials say they have noticed a significant increase in the number of weapons and other prohibited items taken in recent months.

The 22 weapons confiscated at Salt Lake City checkpoints in the past six months is more than double the number seized during the entire year following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in which terrorists hijacked four commercial flights. Following the post-Sept. 11 limitations for carry-on items, screeners confiscated between 300 and 400 prohibited items a week.

"Now we're taking 300 to 400 items every day," Morris said.

The new zero-tolerance policy carries the combined weight of law enforcers from TSA, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, the Salt Lake City Prosecutor's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the FBI.

"Zero tolerance does not mean everyone will be prosecuted," Warner said in the statement. "It does mean that everyone will be processed for possible federal, state or city prosecution. As a practical matter, however, it will only be under very rare circumstances that someone won't be prosecuted."

Gun owners who wish to travel with their guns can check them in with the rest of their luggage. However, the weapon must be stored in a hard carrying case with a lock on it, Morris said. The ammunition must also be stored separately in its original packaging. Both the weapon and the ammunition must be declared with the airline.

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