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Anti-tank weapon seized from passenger’s baggage at Texas airport By MaryAnn Martinez

A bazooka-like weapon powerful enough to take down a military tank was seized from a passenger’s checked baggage in Texas because the traveler had failed to declare the weapon to authorities, the Transportation Security Administration said.

The 84 mm caliber anti-tank rifle was discovered Monday by TSA screeners checking bags at San Antonio International Airport, the agency tweeted.

The firearm is similar to an M3 Carl Gustaf and can be legally owned in the Lone Star State, although it requires an extensive background check.

The TSA does allow guns on planes, but only if they are in checked bags. Any traveler with a firearm must also declare it to the airline when their luggage is handed over, TSA explained. Weapons must also be unloaded and in a hard-sided, secured case.

The 84 mm caliber anti-tank rifle was found by TSA in San Antonio.
TSA_SouthWest
Aerial view of San Antonio International Airport
TSA screeners at San Antonio International Airport found the weapon, which hadn’t been declared to authorities.
Getty Images

“It’s really alarming for anyone who wants to travel with that kind of weapon to not follow the rules that are set,” TSA Spokeswoman Patricia Mancha told local station KENS 5. “They’re not difficult. They’re not a secret.”

The rifle is so large it usually requires two people to operate — one who aims and fires it and a second who acts as a loader and carries ammunition.

“We don’t see that caliber of weapon very often, thank god,” Mancha added.

The case has been handed over to the San Antonio Police Department, which will determine if the passenger will face charges.

The 100th Infantry Battalion fire a Carl Gustaf 84mm Anti-Tank weapon during a multiple weapons test in the Glen of Imaal, Co. Wicklow
The bazooka-like weapon (seen in action above) is powerful enough to take down a tank.
PA Images via Getty Images
TSA Spokeswoman Patricia Mancha told KENS 5 the San Antonio Police Department will determine if the traveler will face charges.
TSA Spokeswoman Patricia Mancha told KENS 5 that the San Antonio Police Department would determine if the traveler will face charges.

The number of firearms found in carry-on baggage across US airports has steadily increased. More than 6,500 were found in 2022, according to TSA figures.

Out of the top 10 airports where federal authorities find guns in carry-on bags, three are in Texas: Austin, Dallas and Houston.

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