March 09--A Florida man and a woman from south suburban Markham have been arrested since Friday for bringing loaded guns into Midway Airport, authorities said.
Most recently Kurt Young, 46, of Tampa, was going through a security checkpoint at Midway around 4:55 a.m. Saturday when an X-ray machine revealed there was a weapon inside his carry-on, said Chicago police News Affairs Officer Ana Pacheco.
Young, who was headed to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, had a .380-caliber Jennings Bryco Model 58 loaded with seven rounds, according to police and the Transportation Security Administration.
Young was arrested and charged with one misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed firearm at the airport, Pacheco said. His bail was set at $15,000 and he bonded out later, Pacheco said. Young's next court date is scheduled for April 24.
On Friday about 1 p.m., Candace R. Bunch, 29, of the 16400 block of Oxford Drive in south suburban Markham, was arrested at Midway, according to Chicago police and the TSA.
Bunch was charged with felony boarding an aircraft with a weapon, police said.
The woman, who was headed to Charlotte International Airport, had a .38-caliber Smith Wesson loaded with six rounds, according to the TSA.
These two firearm discoveries bring the total number of guns discovered by TSA at Midway security checkpoints in 2015 to five. In all of 2014, TSA detected six firearms in the carry-on luggage of passengers departing Midway, according to the TSA.
Nationwide, since Jan. 1, more than 350 guns have been found by TSA officers during routine screening of carry-ons at airports. Firearms, ammunition, firearm parts and realistic replicas of firearms are always prohibited in carry-on baggage. However, these items can be transported in checked baggage provided the traveler declares them to the airline during the ticket counter check-in process, according to the TSA.
Firearms in checked baggage must be unloaded and stored in a locked, hard-sided container, the TSA said. The administration urges passengers to contact their airline for specific firearm and ammunition policies and to check local laws related to the carrying and transport of firearms.
In addition to facing local or state criminal charges, the TSA can levy a civil penalty of up to $7,500 for bringing a dangerous weapon to the checkpoint. Each penalty is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, according to the TSA.
