Excerpt…

Meris Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Queens County District Attorney, said the weapon was not discovered by security. Instead, Bowers voluntarily turned the weapon over to authorities. However, she said, the same charge would have applied had security personnel uncovered the weapon.

The charge levied is a felony and is considered quite serious. New York, home to some of the nation’s strictest gun laws, aggressively prosecutes gun crimes. Criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree is punishable anywhere from a minimum of 3 1/2 years to a maximum of 15 years in prison, Campbell.

Bowers remains in custody but will appear before a judge later this evening. The judge will decide whether bond is set at that time, Campbell said.
Bowers faces a difficult road ahead if he must fight the charges. He is charged with the same offense as former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress, who served 20 months in prison after pleading to a lesser charge stemming from a 2008 incident in which his gun accidentally discharged in a nightclub.

New York requires a city-issued handgun license, which Bowers does not have. Authorities employ a zero-tolerance approach to those illegally possessing firearms, significantly raising the stakes for the 22-year old Bowers.

Hopefully that will be seen.

From what I’ve read, that course of action will still get you arrested in NYC, which is the issue. My understanding is that you have to have the proper NY paperwork, which is where most people apparently get tripped up. You could follow exactly what that link says, show up at the ticket counter and properly announce your fire arm, then get arrested due to NY gun laws. The last paragraph does say that you need to check with the specific state laws.

http://www.ammoland.com/2009/11/transporting-handguns-ammunition-on-commercial-airlines/#axzz2LIdy5NjO