A passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight carried a firearm from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to Tokyo Narita International Airport on Jan. 3, the Transportation Security Administration reported.
The incident happened roughly two weeks into the federal government shutdown, but the TSA said the security lapse was not related to the shutdown. About 51,000 TSA employees were required to work without pay during the shutdown, along with some 800,000 other federal workers.
Although the shutdown prompted increased absences among some TSA staff, the agency said staffing levels were typical the morning of Jan. 3, when the firearm passed through airport security.
According to reports, the passenger accidentally left the firearm in a carry-on bag, went through the security checkpoint and boarded the flight. Delta Air Lines told CNN that “upon the customer’s disclosure, the airline reported the incident to the TSA.”