Missouri prosecutor won't pursue gun case against Bill Maas

PLATTE CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Prosecutors have decided not to pursue state charges against one-time NFL player and former Fox Sports broadcaster Bill Maas for allegedly trying to board a plane with a loaded handgun.

Platte County prosecutor Eric Zahnd said Wednesday that his office will not file state charges against the former Chiefs' nose tackle because of a loophole in state law.

"Missouri law currently makes it impossible to prosecute someone who tries to carry a gun on a plane unless that person was going to commit a crime," Zahnd said in a written statement.

Maas, 45, could still face a $10,000 fine from the Transportation Security Administration and municipal charges under a Kansas City ordinance.

Federal screeners at the Kansas City International Airport found a 9mm Glock handgun in his carry-on bag on Sept. 5. Maas has said he inadvertently brought the wrong bag.

There was no telephone listing for Maas in Lee's Summit, the Kansas City suburb where he levees.

In a separate case, Maas was charged Monday with drug possession and weapons charges stemming from a July roadside safety check in Illinois.

Zahnd said the loophole in Missouri law has forced him to drop "dozens of other cases" over the past several years.

Increased security at the Kansas City airport since 2001 has led to more recovered weapons, but "relatively few state prosecutions," he said. Missouri law contains a provision dating back to 1874 that allows people to carry concealed weapons if they are "traveling in a continuous journey peaceably," he said.

Maas was drafted out of the University of Pittsburgh by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1984 and became a two-time NFL All-Pro selection. He played with the Chiefs until 1992 and with the Green Bay Packers the following year.

He joined Fox in 1996 and worked for the network as a reporter, anchor and game analyst through last season.