Man charged with having handgun at Florida airport
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a Florida man tried to take a loaded handgun through airport security.
The News-Press reports that 23-year-old Joshua Lee Smith was arrested Thursday at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers and charged with carrying a concealed weapon.
Officers responded to a security checkpoint after TSA agents noticed the .40-caliber handgun while screening a black backpack. An arrest report says the chamber was empty, but an inserted magazine had nine rounds.
The report says Smith eventually admitted to having the gun during a secondary screening. He told officers he had taken a concealed weapons class but hadn't had the money to complete the process.