QUEENS COUNTY, NY — Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker, 25, was arrested Friday morning at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on state weapons charges after attempting to check a bag that contained a legally owned firearm and ammunition, authorities confirmed.
Walker, who is a lawful gun owner in his home state of Wisconsin, declared the unloaded firearm to a Delta Air Lines agent, in compliance with TSA regulations, and had the weapon stored in a locked hard case inside his checked luggage. However, under New York State law, he was not permitted to possess the firearm without a valid New York pistol license, which is not available to out-of-state residents in most cases.
Port Authority police responded to the scene and recovered the firearm — a 9mm semi‑automatic handgun — and 36 rounds of ammunition, all stored according to TSA protocol. Walker was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, both felonies in New York.
Walker was arraigned in Queens County Criminal Court, released on his own recognizance, and is due back in court on March 19, 2026. According to The New York Times, his attorney, Arthur Aidala, told the New York Post that Walker had no intention of violating the law and believed he was transporting the firearm legally under federal guidelines. He also expressed confidence that the case would ultimately be dismissed.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) responded strongly to the arrest, calling it another example of how New York’s restrictive gun laws criminalize otherwise law-abiding citizens. In a statement, CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb said, “Virtually anywhere else in the country, Mr. Walker could legally travel with his firearm by declaring it at check-in, but in New York they treat traveling gun owners like criminals.”
Gottlieb also criticized the state’s continued resistance to federal legal precedent, such as the Firearm Owner’s Protection Act of 1986 and the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen ruling, saying New York lawmakers “have continued to react like spoiled children” by not aligning their laws with constitutional standards.
What This Case Illustrates
Under TSA guidelines, travelers may legally transport firearms in checked baggage provided they are unloaded, locked in a hard-sided case, and declared to the airline at check-in. However, compliance with TSA rules does not protect travelers from prosecution under individual state laws, which may prohibit possession regardless of the traveler’s intent or transport status.
In states like New York, possession of a handgun without a state-issued permit — even when declared and locked — is treated as a serious criminal offense, regardless of whether the traveler is merely passing through or attempting to fly home.
This legal landscape creates a hazardous patchwork for responsible gun owners traveling across state lines. Law-abiding individuals who fully follow federal guidelines and airline procedures can still face felony charges due to local laws that do not recognize out-of-state permits or intent.
While the case is still pending, it serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers posed by inconsistent gun laws across the country — particularly in jurisdictions with highly restrictive firearms policies like New York.
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