Local man cited by police after TSA stops him from carrying a handgun onto his flight at Reagan National Airport

ARLINGTON, Va. – A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) prevented an Alexandria, Va., man from bringing a handgun onto his flight on Saturday, Jan. 16. It was the third gun detected by TSA Officers since the start of the new year.

The gun, which was not loaded, was caught as the man was entering the security checkpoint and was detected among his carry-on items. TSA officials notified the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police who confiscated the gun and cited the man on a weapons charge.

“It has not been a good start to the new year for each individual who has been caught carrying a handgun to our checkpoints,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Each individual faces a stiff financial civil penalty that could stretch into thousands of dollars. My advice to firearm owners who want to transport their guns is to familiarize yourself with the proper way pack a gun for a flight. That information is readily available on the TSA web site. Doing so is simply part of being a responsible gun owner.”

Firearms Caught at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport checkpoints, 2017 to 2022

*Fewer passengers than previous year due to the pandemic.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case, and packed separately from ammunition. Then the locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.

Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and passengers should do their homework to make sure that they are not violating any local firearm laws. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.

Nationwide, TSA officers detected 5,972 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints last year. Of the guns caught by TSA in 2022, about 86 percent were loaded.