Federal security officers screening passengers at Atlantic City International Airport stopped a woman packing a loaded handgun in her carry-on bag, authorities reported.

The Salem woman was stopped Friday after a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer spotted the gun as the bag entered a checkpoint X-ray machine, according to a statement from the TSA.

The .380-caliber handgun was loaded with six bullets.

The weapon was confiscated and the woman was questioned by airport police before she was released.

Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in checked bags as long as they are unloaded, packed in a hard, locked case separate from the ammunition and declared at the airline check-in counter.

The woman’s name and any charges she faces were not made public by the TSA.

This was the first gun intercepted at the airport this year, TSA officials said. Two firearms were found at the airport’s checkpoints last year.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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