TSA called in after passenger at DIA checks loaded gun in with luggage :: 08/09/2011

A man flew from Denver to Kansas City on Sunday, but his pistol stayed behind.

Early Sunday morning, a man flying on Frontier Airlines checked his bag at the counter without telling airline agents he had packed a loaded gun. Transportation Security Administration agents doing a routine screen on checked baggage found the gun and called Denver police at about 6:45 a.m.

The officers found the pistol "unusual" and weren't quite sure how to unload it, police spokesman Lt. Matt Murray said.

Officers shot the gun into a concrete-lined device called a clear barrel, equipment they often use to disarm guns with which they're not familiar.

Denver police kept the weapon and said the man can collect his gun from the police if he passes a criminal-background check and produces photo identification, Murray said. Neither the man's name nor the type of pistol were disclosed.

TSA regulations allow passengers to carry guns on planes in checked baggage if they report them to the airline, unload them and place them in locked, hard- cased containers. Guns are not allowed in carry-on luggage.