Judge Caught Traveling With Loaded Gun At Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Earlier this month, a Wayne County juvenile judge was cited for the possession of a dangerous firearm after a loaded gun was discovered in her purse as she went through airport security.

Citation issued

Judge Cylenthia LaToye Miller, a juvenile judge for Wayne County, was traveling through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) when the x-ray scanner identified what appeared to be a loaded firearm in her purse. According to law enforcement at the scene, it appears that the judge had made no effort to hide the gun, noting in their report that the firearm was “not artfully concealed” in her purse.

Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying

According to Fox 2 Detroit, the 0.380 caliber firearm appears to have a full clip, with six bullets and a seventh in the chamber. The gun’s serial number was difficult to read, according to the police. Furthermore, the weapon was not registered, as Miller said that her brother gave her the gun, and she had the opportunity to do so.

Miller was cited for possession of a dangerous firearm. The TSA may impose civil penalties of up to $14,950 per person. In addition, if the traveler in question is a member of TSA Precheck, they will lose their privileges for a minimum of five years.

Related

TSA Intercepts Nearly 7000 Firearms At US Airports In 2023

The agency found a total of 6,737 firearms at checkpoints in 2023.

Increasing number of firearms stopped by TSA

According to Fox 2 Detroit, the TSA stopped 6,737 firearms nationwide in 2023, surpassing the previous year’s record of 6,542. The watchdog found that 93% of the weapons were loaded. 96 guns were stopped at DTW in 2023, an improvement over the 100 found in 2022.

The airport did not even make the top 10 airports for gun interceptions in 2023.

Transportation of firearms on aircraft

The TSA allows for the transportation of firearms on commercial airlines, however passengers must abide by the rules.

Photo: Ruimc / Shutterstock

Firearms being transported aboard the aircraft must be unloaded and packed separately in a locked, hard-sided container as checked baggage. The firearm and/or ammunition must be declared to the airline when the passengers check their bags at the ticketing counter. The container must be secure and prevent unauthorized access; any cases that do not meet security requirements will be rejected.

Passengers also have to ensure that they are in compliance with local, state, and international laws, as these could differ. It should be noted that bringing an unloaded firearm with easily accessible ammunition to the security checkpoint carries the same penalty as bringing a loaded firearm to the checkpoint.

The penalties include:

• Firearms and loaded firearms: $1,490 – $2,990 + criminal charges
• Undeclared and/or improperly packaged firearms; modified starter pistols: $740 – $1,490
• Undeclared and/or improperly packaged silencers; mufflers; frames and/or receivers: $390 – $2,250.

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