> A Rhode Island man was arrested after a Transportation Security Administration officer found parts of a disassembled handgun in two plastic jars of Jif peanut butter in his checked bag at John F. Kennedy International Airport, authorities said.

>The TSA said its officer found the .22-caliber gun parts wrapped in plastic within the peanut butter jars on Thursday. According to the TSA, the man’s checked bag triggered an alarm in a Terminal 8 X-ray unit in the Queens, N.Y., airport, prompting the TSA officer to open the bag and find the firearm parts. The TSA notified Port Authority Police. Police confiscated the items, which included a magazine loaded with bullets, found the man in the terminal, and arrested him.

>“The gun parts were artfully concealed in two smooth creamy jars of peanut butter,” said John Essig, TSA’s Federal Security Director for JFK Airport, in a news release. “Our officers are good at their jobs and are focused on their mission — especially during the busy holiday travel period,” Essig said.

>The TSA says travelers can take their firearms on a flight if they have a permit and the gun is properly packed. It must be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided case, and declared at the check-in counter.

>Authorities did not release the man’s name. The TSA says civil penalties for bringing undeclared weapons include fines of up to $15,000.