San Luis Obispo officer attempts to board plane with loaded gun

January 30, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

An on-duty San Luis Obispo officer was stopped at the city’s airport security check after the routine X-ray screening found a handgun loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition in the officer’s carry-on bag on Wednesday.

Upon seeing the image of the firearm on the X-ray screen, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff contacted the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department who responded to the security checkpoint.

After removing the firearm from the X-ray tunnel, a deputy spoke with the SLO officer, who was headed to Denver International Airport. Investigators ultimately allowed the SLO officer to board the flight to Denver.

“Firearms brought by travelers in carry-on luggage continue to be an issue at airports across the country including San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport,” according to Federal Security Director Anita Minaei. “My hope is that highlighting the discovery of this firearm will be an incentive for gun owners to reacquaint themselves with the rules on traveling with a firearm on a commercial aircraft.”

In general, 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.

However, federal law authorizes police officers to carry firearms on airplanes in checked luggage, or carried on their person, if necessary, with the completion of administrative forms in advance.

The officer, who was traveling for an investigation, had planned to place her firearm in her checked luggage, but mistakenly placed the gun in her carry-on bag, according to the San Luis Obispo Police Department.

“The San Luis Obispo Police Department will be conducting an internal review of this incident,” according to the press release. “We regret the disruption and would like to thank our law enforcement partners at TSA for keeping our community and travelers safe here in SLO.”