An American security guard who was caught with a gun and a flick knife after his luggage was x-rayed at Edinburgh Airport has been fined £1000.

Jeffrey Baumgardner, who now lives in Markinch in Fife, had been returning to Pennsylvania after failing to find security work in Scotland.

However, as his bags were being checked in, security staff spotted the outline of a gas-fired pistol. They then found a flick knife in his other suitcase.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard Gardner had mentioned the gun to staff at the check-in desk, but had failed to declare them correctly to security staff.

On Tuesday, the 38-year-old pleaded guilty to failing to declare the gun and knife and being in possession of an offensive weapon.

The court heard Baumgardner had been due to travel on a Delta Airlines flight to New York on September 16 last year. 

The airline used a separate security firm called Isec to question passengers before they reached the check-in desks. They asked Baumgardner if he had any weapons in his luggage, but he replied "none" and was allowed to go to the check-in desk.

When one of his suitcases was overweight, he was asked if there were any items he could take out and put in his hand luggage.

Fiscal Depute, Dev Kapadia, said it was at this point that Baumgardner indicated there was a gun in the bag. He was told he would not be allowed to carry that in the hand luggage and was asked to pay the excess charge.

However, the check-in staff failed to notify security there was a weapon in the bag and the x-ray then showed up the pistol.

Baumgardner told police his mother had sent him his "security regalia" while he was looking for similar work in Scotland, although he would not be able to use it. He was taking it back to the States.

The Fiscal said the accused was licenced to have such items in Pennsylvania and that there was no bar against him transporting them provided they were declared to airline security in advance. 

Special precautions could then be taken to ensure their owners had no access to them during the flight. Baumgardner's failure had been not to declare what he had to the Isec Security staff prior to check in.

Defence agent, John McGeechan, said his client was "a little embarrassed about the incident as he worked in the industry".

"He should have said at the first checkpoint 'In my bag I have certain items', not waited until the second stage. The right procedures were not followed".

The pistol, he added, was in a locked metal box and there was no gas canister.

Baumgardner, he added, was returning to live in America and his wife was going with him. He was fined £1000, but the court heard he would be allowed to keep the weapons and make the proper arrangements for their transport.