This gun was detected by TSA in a traveler’s carry-on bag at Reagan National Airport on Jan. 25. (TSA photo)
ARLINGTON, Va. – A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) prevented a Takoma Park, Md., man from bringing a loaded handgun onto his flight on Tuesday, Jan. 25. It was the fourth gun detected by TSA Officers so far this year.
The .40 caliber gun, was loaded with 13 bullets and one in the chamber. It was detected as the man was entering the security checkpoint with 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.
“Twenty-five days into the new year and already our officers stopped a fourth gun from being carried onto a flight,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Gun owners need to know that our TSA officers are good at detecting weapons and are focused on their mission. As a reminder to firearm owners, it is important to know that even if you have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow you to bring your gun through a TSA security checkpoint.”
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.
Firearms Caught at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport checkpoints, 2017 to 2022
|
Year |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020* |
2021* |
2022* (As of 1/25/22) |
|
Guns caught |
13 |
16 |
14 |
10 |
30 |
4 |
*Fewer passengers due to the pandemic.
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 may 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.