Loaded gun found in backpack at TF Green checkpoint

WARWICK, R.I. (AP) — Authorities found a loaded gun in a man's backpack at Rhode Island's T.F. Green Airport on Monday, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration said.

The .45 caliber handgun with nine bullets was spotted as the bag went through a security checkpoint X-ray machine, according to a TSA statement.

TSA officers alerted airport police, who confiscated the gun and questioned the Cranston man before releasing him.

The man, whose name was not made public, told officials that he forgot he had the gun with him.

It was the second time this year a gun has been spotted at a T.F. Green security checkpoint. Three were found all of last year, and four were found in 2018.

Nationwide, 4,432 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country last year.