This gun was detected by a TSA officer in an Alexandria, Va., woman’s carry-on bag at Reagan National Airport on Oct. 4. (TSA photo)
ARLINGTON, Va. – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) prevented an Alexandria, Va., woman from carrying her handgun onto her flight early this morning, Tuesday, Oct. 4. The .380 caliber gun was loaded with six bullets and was detected among the woman’s carry-on items.
When TSA officers spotted the firearm, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police were notified, confiscated the weapon and cited the woman on weapons charges. She told officials that she forgot that she had her loaded gun with her.
“This was the 24th gun that our officers have prevented from being carried onto a flight in 2022,” said John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Everyone who travels should appreciate the amazing work our TSA officers do every day, keeping dangerous items off the aircraft. I am very proud of them and their continued focus on our mission. If someone wants to transport their firearm on a flight, they certainly can, as long as it is unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided case and declared as checked baggage with the airline as described on the TSA website. The airline representative will make sure the gun is transported in the belly of the airplane where nobody has access to it during the flight.”
When a gun is spotted on the X-ray monitor at a checkpoint, it slows down the checkpoint lane and delays other travelers because the conveyor belt is halted until the police arrive at the checkpoint to remove the bin with the gun and pull the traveler aside for questioning. Only after law enforcement officers remove the bin will the checkpoint lane resume operation for TSA officers to continue to screen other passengers.
Firearms Caught at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport checkpoints, 2017 to 2022
|
Year |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 (As of 10/4/22) |
|
Guns caught at DCA checkpoints |
13 |
16 |
14 |
10 |
30 |
24 |
Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint also 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 2021, about 86 percent were loaded.