Man is found with gun loaded with 21 bullets at Philadelphia Airport - the SECOND time he's caught with a firearm at the same TSA checkpoint

A man was found with a loaded gun containing 21 bullets at Philadelphia International Airport on Saturday - the second time he has been caught with a firearm at the same checkpoint. 

Transportation Security Administration officers caught the unnamed man after they found a 9mm gun in his gym bag. 

The gun was loaded with 21 bullets, including one in the chamber, the TSA said in a release. 

The man had been previously caught with his improperly packed gun at the airport - though it's unclear when the previous incident happened.  

The TSA said he will once again face substantial federal financial civil penalties and will be cited by the Tinicum Township Police. Gerardo Spero, TSA's Federal Security Director for the airport, said the man being caught on a second gun-related offense at the same airport is 'absolutely unacceptable.' 

A man was caught by the TSA with a loaded handgun at the Philadelphia airport. It's the second time the unnamed suspect has been charged with a gun-related offense at the airport. 

The same day a second man was caught with a .38 caliber handgun in his carry-on bag

'Getting caught one time is one thing, but not learning a lesson from that experience is just unforgivable,' Spero added. 

The same day, TSA caught another unnamed man, a resident of Souderton, with a .38 caliber handgun in his carry-on bag. 

In both cases, the men were caught as they approached a security checkpoint. The X-ray scanning equipment alerted security to their carry-on bags, which required a close inspection. 

The police seized both firearms, which brings the number of firearms retrieved at the Philadelphia airport this year to 40, surpassing the total from 2021. 

The total number of guns collected in 2021 has reached 44, but Spero noted: 'We still have two full months to go in the calendar year.' 

'It is disappointing to continue to see the frequency in which travelers are bringing their guns to our checkpoints,' Spero said.

The police seized both firearms, which bring the number of firearms retrieved at the Philadelphia airport this year to 40, surpassing the total from 2021

The TSA said 'there is no excuse' to bring a gun to checkpoints at airports.  

'The only way to fly with your firearm is to ensure it is unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case and taken to the airline check-in counter and declared,' the agency said. 

'The airline will make sure it is transported in the belly of the aircraft so that nobody has access to it during a flight.

Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a Federal civil penalty, the agency said. 

'Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances,' it added. 

Carrying a loaded gun could result in $1,490 to $2,990 in civil penalties, plus a criminal referral. 

It doesn't matter if the individual has a concealed gun carry permit because the permit 'does not allow a firearm to be carried through a checkpoint.'