TSA: 2 guns found in flyers’ handbags in busy morning at JFK

February 19, 2015 Associated Press

This .40 caliber was caught by TSA officers at a security checkpoint at JFK Thursday morning. Photo courtesy of TSA

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Federal officials say two women with guns in their handbags have been stopped at checkpoints within 90 minutes at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The Transportation Security Administration says officers found a BB gun in one woman’s bag around 5:45 a.m. Thursday. The Brooklyn resident got a summons.

Then, separately, officers said an X-ray machine detected a .40-caliber, semi-automatic unloaded handgun in another woman’s purse around 7:15 a.m. The agency says the Chatham, New York, resident told officers she forgot she had the weapon with her.

The TSA says Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police arrested her on a weapons charge.

The women’s names and other details weren’t immediately available.

Travelers can fly with guns in checked luggage, but not in carry-on bags.