Police cite woman after TSA officers at Norfolk Airport catch her with loaded handgun

NORFOLK, Va. – Transportation Security Administration officers at Norfolk International Airport stopped a Wisconsin woman from carrying her handgun onto a flight on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The 9mm handgun was loaded with eight bullets. It marked the first gun caught at the airport’s checkpoints so far this year and came on the heels of a record-setting 27 guns caught at the airport last year.

TSA officers stopped the traveler when her 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 woman on a weapons violation. The case will be forwarded to the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney for possible criminal prosecution.

“The year is still young and at this point I ask every owner of a firearm to commit to making a new year’s resolution to pack their weapon properly for a flight if they want to travel with it,” said Robin “Chuck” Burke, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “It is important to know that the proper way to transport a firearm for a flight is to ensure the weapon is not loaded, that it is packed in a locked hard-sided case and then taken to the airline check-in counter, where the airline representative will ensure it is transported in the belly of the plane with cargo and other checked baggage. Hopefully this incident serves as a reminder to other firearm owners about the proper way to transport their firearm. This individual now faces a stiff financial civil penalty—a penalty for carrying a weapon that was recently increased to a maximum of $15,000.”

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, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints nationwide. Eighty-eight percent of those guns were loaded.

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