A man on his way from Santa Barbara to Phoenix was flagged and cited for attempting to carry a loaded gun onto a flight this week at the Santa Barbara Airport.

Transportation Security Administration officials found and confiscated the loaded weapon.

The passenger, whose name was not released, was headed for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and was carrying a loaded .380-caliber Beretta Pico, packed with six rounds of ammunition.

A TSA officer spotted the image of the gun on the X-ray screen at 9:35 a.m. Tuesday during routine screening of carry-on luggage. 

The Santa Barbara Airport Patrol responded to the security checkpoint, interviewed the traveler and confiscated the weapon. They let the passenger continue on his flight to Phoenix. 

“TSA officers at SBA and at airports around the country continue to screen for security threats in order to keep them off of commercial aircraft,” said Anita Minaei, TSA federal security director for the Santa Barbara Airport. “Whether detecting firearms, or other items prohibited  in carry-on luggage, TSA remains focused on our security mission to protect the traveling public.

“For those who are planning on  traveling with a firearm, follow the rules or you will find it can be an inconvenient and costly mistake.” 

TSA will review the circumstances of the incident and levy a civil penalty against the passenger, according to a news release.

The  recommended civil penalty for a firearm starts at $2,050, and can go up to the statutory maximum of more than $13,669 per violation. TSA evaluates each incident on a case-by-case basis.  

Individuals who violate rules regarding traveling with firearms will also have Trusted Traveler status and TSA PreCheck expedited-screening benefits revoked for a  period of time. The duration of the disqualification will depend upon the seriousness of the offense and if there is a repeated history of violations. 

The firearm discovery at the airport was one of 10 at airport security checkpoints nationwide on Tuesday. Of those, nine of the firearms were loaded.

TSA officers nationwide have discovered 2,159 firearms in carry-on luggage so far in 2020. 

Firearms can be transported on a commercial aircraft only if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case, and placed in checked baggage.

Ammunition and firearm parts, including firearm frames, receivers, clips and magazines, are also prohibited in carry-on baggage, and must be checked.

Any type of replica firearm is prohibited in carry-on baggage and must be transported in  checked luggage. 

— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.