ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) –  On Tuesday, Transportation Security Administration officers prevented a Rensselaer County man from carrying a loaded gun onto a flight at the Albany International Airport. A TSA officer spotted the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine. The 9mm gun was loaded with five bullets.

The Albany County Sheriff’s Office responded and confiscated the weapon. Although the owner had a state gun permit, he faces a federal financial penalty for bringing a weapon to an airport checkpoint.

A gun owner who possesses a New York State Pistol Permit should know the rules and not bring a loaded firearm to the checkpoint,” said Bart R. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for airports in Upstate New York. “Not knowing where your handgun is at all times is inexcusable and dangerous to the traveling public.”

Gun owners must pack their guns properly in their checked luggage and declare them at the airline check-in counter. This marks the fourth gun caught at the Albany International Airport checkpoint this year. For information on how to properly travel with a firearm, visit the TSA website.