www.reuters.com

Comedian Jerry Lewis was detained by police in Las Vegas late last week when airport screeners found an unloaded gun in his baggage, authorities said on Tuesday.

Lewis, 82, had a small .22-caliber handgun when he arrived at the security screening area on Friday at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, said Officer Ramon Denby, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The comedian was briefly detained and the gun was seized. Lewis was cited for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, Denby said.

Lewis, half of a wildly successful comedic duo with singer Dean Martin in the 1950s, was traveling to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, to perform a one-man show, a source close to the comedian said.

(For some reason, I find the thought of 82-year old Jerry Lewis, sitting alone in a Mount Pleasant hotel room with a gun disturbing….how would you like to bring him room service? “The eggs aren’t done enough, Mr. Lewis? Yes, sir…we will take them back to the kitchen….please, put the gun down, Mr. Lewis.” - Dr. Disney)