Man arrested with gun at airport kept it for protection

ATLANTA - A Cobb County man arrested at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport says he forgot about the loaded handgun in his pocket when he arrived a security checkpoint. <br> <br> The attorney of Manuel Humbert Espinol, a used-car salesman, says his client kept the .35-caliber gun handy for protection because he often carries large amounts of cash. <br> <br> Only ticketed passengers are allowed past the security checkpoint, but the federal security director for the airport said 39-year-old Espinol had special permission to meet his elderly mother arriving on a flight to Atlanta. <br> <br> No one was injured, and flights were not affected. <br> <br> A Clayton magistrate set bond at $5,000.