A California woman who was arrested at JFK Airport after trying to board a plane with a handgun in her checked luggage is suing the Port Authority Police Department for excessive force.

Cynthia Berliner, who is licensed to carry a gun in California, declared the unloaded Smith & Wesson at a Jet Blue Airways check-in counter in 2006.

She and her attorney claim that a little-known federal statute allows an unloaded firearm to be transported between states that allow legal possession of such a weapon.

Port Authority cops arrested Berliner for not having a New York City permit. Her Brooklyn federal court suit claims the officers hurt her shoulder while handcuffing her behind her back.