This gun and ammunition were detected by a TSA officers in a traveler’s carry-on bag at Reagan National Airport on June 16. (TSA photo)
ARLINGTON, Va. – A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) prevented a Stafford, Va., resident from bringing a loaded handgun onto her flight yesterday, Thursday, June 16. It was the 10th gun detected by TSA officers at the airport so far this year.
The 9mm gun, was loaded with 13 bullets and was detected via the X-ray machine as the woman was entering the security checkpoint with her carry-on items. An additional loaded gun magazine was also in her possession. TSA officials notified the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police who confiscated the gun and cited the woman on a weapons charge.
“Everyone who owns a firearm needs to know that they are not permitted to be carried through an airport security checkpoint,” said John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Bringing a deadly weapon such as a loaded handgun to a security checkpoint is a very serious offense. Guns, ammunition and security checkpoints don’t mix. Travelers are responsible for and held accountable for the contents of their baggage. And every responsible gun owner must know where their firearm is at all times. Too often TSA is told ‘I forgot it was in the bag,’ and that is also troubling.”
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter. 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 6/16/22) |
|
Guns caught at DCA checkpoints |
13 |
16 |
14 |
10 |
30 |
10 |
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.