![TSA officers detected this antique handgun in the carry-on bag of a traveler ticketed to fly out of Boston Logan International Airport on Christmas, 2019. [Courtesy Photo / Transportation Security Administration]](https://www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/BOS-gun-12-25-19.jpg?w=486 "TSA officers detected this antique handgun in the carry-on bag of a traveler ticketed to fly out of Boston Logan International Airport on Christmas, 2019. [Courtesy Photo / Transportation Security Administration]")
A man carrying an antique gun in his luggage was questioned by Transportation Security Administration officers at Boston Logan International Airport on Christmas Day, the administration said.
The man, who said he inherited the gun from his grandfather, brought the weapon through a security checkpoint where TSA officers spotted it as his carry-on entered the X-ray machine, officials said.
It was the 17th time this year that a gun had been spotted in a carry-on bag at Logan, according to the TSA.
The man was not arrested, but was detained for questioning by state police before being allowed to return the gun to his vehicle.
“Antique and realistic replica firearms are not allowed to be carried onto airplanes. They must be packed in checked baggage,” the administration said in a statement. “Even travelers with concealed firearm permits are not allowed to bring guns onto airplanes in their carry-on bags.”
According to the TSA, 4,239 firearms were detected in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country last year, 86 percent of which were loaded and nearly 34 percent had a bullet in the chamber.
