A Transportation Security Administration screener at the world’s busiest airport has been fired after missing a loaded handgun in a passenger’s carry- on bag.
Passenger Katrina Jackson noticed her .38-calibre handgun in her purse while at the boarding gate at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and voluntarily informed airport police.
The gun and her bag were then confiscated.
Jackson told officers she had an Alabama permit for the weapon but didn’t have the permit with her.
Because of this she was booked for unlawful possession of a handgun.
The TSA said the screener who overlooked the weapon as it went through the screening machine was fired.
"This egregious mistake was unacceptable and the officer who was still a probationary employee was immediately and permanently separated from federal service," a TSA statement said.
So far this year, screeners at Atlanta have discovered 48 guns in carry-on bags.
Last year 198 weapons were seized at the airport by TSA officers, more than any other US airport.
