A Derry man was arrested after being caught with a 9 mm handgun in a carry-on bag Sunday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.

Westmoreland County Park Police charged Brandon Edward Emeigh, 31, with prohibited possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm without a permit. He faces a preliminary hearing July 27 before District Judge Michael Mahady in Unity.

The gun was unloaded but was accompanied by a magazine containing four bullets, Transportation Security Administration officials said. It showed on an X-ray monitor at the airport’s security checkpoint before 1 p.m.

Police said Emeigh had a prior felony conviction and was not permitted to possess a firearm. Emeigh told police the bag belonged to his wife and he didn’t check it, according to court documents.

It was the first gun caught this year at the airport in Unity, according to the TSA. TSA officers stopped four guns at the airport’s checkpoint last year.

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