#TSA catches passenger with assault rifle ‘artfully concealed’ in suitcase lining

By Alexandra Deabler, Fox News

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TSA officers at Newark Liberty International Airport detected this assault rifle and ammunition artfully concealed in the lining of a traveler’s suitcase on July 20.
TSA

A woman was stopped at Newark Liberty International Airport for bringing a loaded assault rifle and ammunition in a checked bag on Monday.

The traveler from East Orange, NJ, was traveling through the airport when TSA discovered the rifle, which had “a high-powered magazine and an arsenal of ammunition.” The weapon had been “artfully concealed” behind the lining of the suitcase, the TSA said in a media release shared with Fox News. It was found during a screening check.

Though guns are allowed to be packed in checked bags, they must be placed in a hard-sided container, unloaded and disclosed to the airline when checking the bag at the ticket counter, per TSA guidelines. However, the laws for possessing certain firearms vary between states and travelers must comply with state regulations. High-capacity magazines and assault rifles are both illegal in New Jersey, where Newark airport is located.

“Our TSA officers are very skilled at detecting firearms and other prohibited items,” said Tom Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey.

“In this case, they detected an assault rifle, which is illegal in New Jersey; a high-capacity magazine, which is also illegal in New Jersey; four boxes of hollow-point bullets, again, illegal in New Jersey; three magazines, one of which was fully loaded; and two additional boxes of rifle ammunition. This was an incredibly good catch on the part of our officers because the traveler attempted to evade detection by concealing the items beneath the lining of his suitcase.”

Port Authority Police were alerted to the scene and arrested the woman and the man she was traveling with. The weapons and bullets were confiscated by authorities.