This gun was detected by a TSA officer in a traveler’s carry-on bag at CHO Airport on August 16. (TSA photo)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (CHO) prevented a Waynesboro, Va., man from carrying his handgun onto a flight on Tuesday, Aug. 16. It was the first gun detected by TSA officers at the airport so far this year.
The .38 caliber gun was not loaded although it was accompanied by four bullets and a box cutter, all detected by a TSA officer and spotted among the man’s carry-on items. When TSA identified the firearm, the local police were notified and confiscated the weapon.
The man now faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty.
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.
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.