A gun the TSA found at the Chattanooga Airport, August 16, 2013.

A loaded gun was discovered in a passenger's carry-on bag at the Chattanooga Airport this morning.

The Transportation Security Administration found the .357 revolver at about 5 a.m. and airport police were immediately alerted and took possession of it, according to a news release from the TSA.

Weapons are not permitted in carry-on baggage at airports.

Individuals who bring firearms to a checkpoint face a civil penalty from TSA.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-side case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition.

The TSA discovered 1,556 firearms at checkpoints nationwide in 2012 including three in Chattanooga. This was the second firearm discovered at the Chattanooga Airport in 2013.