Police cite local man after TSA officers at Norfolk Airport catch him with handgun

NORFOLK, Va. – Transportation Security Administration officers at Norfolk International Airport stopped a Chesapeake, Va., resident from carrying his loaded handgun onto a flight on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The .380 caliber handgun, was loaded with six bullets. It marked the 24th gun caught at the airport’s checkpoints, the most detected in a single year.

TSA officers stopped the traveler when his carry-on items triggered an alarm in the security checkpoint X-ray unit. Upon spotting the gun, TSA alerted the Norfolk Airport Authority Police, who responded to the checkpoint and cited the local man on a weapons violation. The case will be forwarded to the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney for possible criminal prosecution.

“This was the 24th gun that our officers have stopped at the security checkpoints at Norfolk this year, which set a new record for the number of firearms caught in a single year,” said Robin “Chuck” Burke, TSA Federal Security Director for the airport. “Our officers are good at their jobs, but frankly, this is not the type of record we are looking to set. We would rather that travelers pack their guns properly for a flight. Firearms are not permitted through a security checkpoint because passengers should not have access to a firearm during a flight. This also applies to travelers with concealed carry permits or passengers who are enrolled in the TSA PreCheck® program.”

Indecisive about whether an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither? Download the free myTSA app, which has a handy “What can I bring?” feature that allows you to type in the item to find out if it can fly. Or ask on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their respective 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.

TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have gun(s) with them at a checkpoint. This applies to travelers regardless of their concealed gun carry permit status. A concealed carry permit does not allow a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. Members of TSA PreCheck® who travel with a gun in carry-on baggage will lose that privilege.  The complete list of civil penalties is posted online and can run into thousands of dollars.

Last year, 5,972 firearms were caught at airport security checkpoints nationwide. Eighty-six percent of those guns were loaded.

Firearms caught by TSA officers at Norfolk International Airport checkpoints, 2016 to 2022