Posted Wednesday, November 13, 2019 1:31 pm

A Florida man was caught with two unloaded .22 caliber handguns in his carry-on baggage while going through a security checkpoint at Harrisburg International Airport Nov. 9.

Scott Edwin Davis, 61, of Fort Lauderdale, was cited with disorderly conduct.

The Derringer handguns were detected by Transportation Security Administration officers in the bottom of the man’s black duffel bag, as the bag entered the checkpoint X-ray machine, according to a TSA press release posted Nov. 12.

TSA officers notified Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority police, who came to the checkpoint and cited the man for disorderly conduct at 10:41 a.m.

The man told officials he did not know he had the guns with him, because he took the wrong duffle bag with him when he went to the airport, according to the TSA release.

In the citation filed with District Judge Michael J. Smith, airport police wrote that Davis has a valid Florida conceal carry permit. Davis was reportedly cooperative and respectful during the process.

This marks the fifth and sixth guns caught at HIA so far this year — tying the number of guns that were caught at the airport throughout all of 2018, TSA said. Before this incident, the most recent cases of firearms being caught in carry-on bags at HIA were on Sept. 23 and on Sept. 25.

Nationwide, the number of firearms discovered in carry-on bags at airports grew by about 7 percent in 2018 over 2017 — 4,239 in 2018 compared to 3,957 for 2017, TSA said.

That was an average of 11.6 firearms discovered per day in 2018, TSA said. Eighty-six percent of firearms detected at airport checkpoints in 2018 were loaded, and nearly 34 percent had a bullet in the chamber.

The TSA release did not say how the number of firearms discovered so far in 2019 compares with the number found in 2018.

Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in checked baggage if the firearms are properly packaged and declared, TSA said in the release. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition.

Even travelers with concealed firearm permits are not allowed to bring guns onto airplanes in their carry-on bags, TSA said.

Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. People who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to possible criminal charges, TSA said.

Travelers found with a firearm in their carry-on risk losing their membership in TSA Pre, the TSA program that allows people to move through security quicker, TSA said in the release.

TSA can also assess civil penalties of up to $13,333 for weapons violations. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun onto a checkpoint is $4,100, TSA said.