Zachary Velling

Introduction

Zachary Velling, 27, of Morgantown, West Virginia, is an air traveler who pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing an unregistered firearm after Transportation Security Administration officers spotted a military-style flashbang grenade in his carry-on luggage at Pittsburgh International Airport. Velling entered the plea before United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak on September 2, 2026, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania announced it the following day. Under federal law the MK24 diversionary hand grenade in his bag was both a firearm and a destructive device, and it was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. His sentencing is scheduled for January 7, 2027.

Background Information

The MK24 MOD 0,6 Bang/Flash is a diversionary hand grenade — commonly called a flashbang — that produces a blinding flash and a concussive blast and is used by police and military units for crowd control and room entries. Possessing one as a civilian is not categorically illegal, but the National Firearms Act treats such devices as firearms and destructive devices that must be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and transporting one aboard a commercial aircraft is separately prohibited. Velling’s case arose from a routine step of air travel: carry-on luggage passing through an x-ray machine at airport security, where the shape of the device drew the attention of TSA representatives.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Pleaded guilty; sentencing pending.

On November 12, 2024, Velling entered security at Pittsburgh International Airport and placed his carry-on luggage through the x-ray machine. Representatives with the Transportation Security Administration noticed a suspicious object inside the bag, and officers from the Allegheny County Police Department responded and determined it to be an MK24 MOD 0,6 Bang/Flash diversionary hand grenade — a live diversionary device, packed among a traveler’s belongings at a security checkpoint. The grenade, the court was advised at the plea hearing, is a firearm and destructive device under federal law that was not registered to Velling in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

The discovery took the device out of the checkpoint and Velling into a federal investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Allegheny County Police Department, and the TSA. Nearly two years later, on September 2, 2026, Velling stood before Judge Hornak in the Western District of Pennsylvania and pleaded guilty to one count of possessing an unregistered firearm — the single count that captures the grenade’s status under the National Firearms Act. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to ten years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both; under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence will be based on the seriousness of the offense and Velling’s prior criminal history, if any. Judge Hornak scheduled sentencing for January 7, 2027.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The documented response is procedural. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the plea in a September 3, 2026 release crediting the four investigating agencies, and Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson is prosecuting the case. The release records no statement from Velling or his attorney, no explanation of where the grenade came from or why it was in his carry-on, and no information about whether he was flying when stopped or how he had transported the device to the airport. The concrete consequences to date are the felony conviction itself — a guilty plea to a National Firearms Act count — and the exposure of up to ten years in prison that now hangs over the January 2027 sentencing.

Current Status

Velling, 27, awaits sentencing before Judge Hornak on January 7, 2027, following his September 2, 2026 guilty plea to possessing an unregistered firearm. The release does not state whether he is in custody or on release pending sentencing, whether prosecutors will seek a guideline enhancement tied to the airport setting, or whether he has any prior criminal history that will inform the guideline calculation. The MK24 grenade itself left his possession at the Pittsburgh checkpoint in November 2024. Until sentencing, the maximum statutory exposure stands at ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Impact on Their Career/Life

A guilty plea to a federal firearms count converts a security-checkpoint scare into a permanent felony record for Velling, with prison exposure of up to a decade to be resolved at the January 2027 hearing. The conviction will carry the civil disabilities that follow any federal felony — firearms restrictions among them, the very subject of the offense. The public record shows a Morgantown resident whose travel through Pittsburgh International Airport ended with county police pulling a live flashbang from his bag, a two-year federal investigation spanning four agencies, and a plea entered two days shy of the incident’s second anniversary. The release records nothing about his work, schooling, or the origin of the device.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Pennsylvania, “West Virginia Man Who Attempted to Carry Flashbang Grenade Onto Plane Pleads Guilty to Possessing Unregistered Firearm”, September 3, 2026 — source