Jerry Lewis detained for carrying gun at airport

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By Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Jerry Lewis was detained by policein Las Vegas late last week when airport screeners found anunloaded gun in his baggage, authorities said on Tuesday.
Lewis, 82, had a small .22-caliber handgun when he arrived at thesecurity screening area on Friday at Las Vegas McCarranInternational Airport, said Officer Ramon Denby, a spokesman forthe Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
The comedian was briefly detained and the gun was seized. Lewis wascited for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, Denby said.
Lewis, half of a wildly successful comedic duo with singer DeanMartin in the 1950s, was traveling to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, toperform a one-man show, a source close to the comedian said.
A spokesman for Lewis, the star of the 1963 movie "The NuttyProfessor" and the 1982 movie "The King of Comedy," could notimmediately be reached for comment.
The weapon was registered to Lewis and he will need to attend acourt hearing to get it back, Denby said.
Since 1966, Lewis has hosted an annual telethon to raise money forthe Muscular Dystrophy Association. Last year, the telethon raised$63.8 million.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)