WISCONSIN (CBS 58) -- The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says officers intercepted five firearms at Wisconsin airports in the month of March. 

They say two loaded firearms were intercepted in one day at Appleton International Airport this week, and firearms were also detected at checkpoints at Mitchell International Airport, Dane County Regional Airport, and Central Wisconsin Airport this month. 

“As we continue to project elevated travel volumes at airports across the state in the coming weeks and months, we urge passengers to start with an empty bag and ensure they aren’t inadvertently bringing any prohibited items to the checkpoint,” TSA Wisconsin Federal Security Director Mark Lendvay said. “Bringing a firearm in your carry-on bag is a careless, expensive mistake that introduces tremendous risk to the crowded checkpoint environment.”

TSA fines passengers who bring a firearm to a checkpoint with up to $15,000 and revokes TSA PreCheck eligibility for at least five years.

Passengers are allowed to travel with unloaded firearms in checked bagged, packed separately from ammunition and in a locked, hard-sided case. They must also be declared at the airline check-in counter. TSA says travelers should check firearm laws in the jurisdictions they're traveling to and from and should also check their airline's requirements. 

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