(WETM) – A Geneva man was found to have brought a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag at the Elmira-Corning Regional Airport earlier this week.

The Transportation Security Administration detected the 9mm handgun in his carry-on bag on Tuesday, December 21. TSA said the gun was loaded with six bullets. TSA alerted airport police who then confiscated the gun.

Police didn’t release the name of the man, but said he faces “a stiff federal financial penalty for bringing the weapon to the airport checkpoint.”

“I would like to commend the actions of the officers assigned to Elmira for detecting this loaded gun in the carry-on luggage,” said Bart R. Johnson, Federal Security Director for Upstate New York. “It is the busy holiday season and carrying a loaded gun with you to the airport is an accident waiting to happen. If you own a firearm, you need to take a little extra time when packing your items to bring to the airport. Under no circumstances should someone be carrying a gun at a security checkpoint.”