TSA officers stopped a man with this handgun and ammunition inside his carry-on bag at the Reagan National Airport security checkpoint on April 15. (TSA photo)
ARLINGTON, Va. – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) prevented a Tennessee man from bringing his handgun onto a flight on Saturday, April 15. The .40 caliber gun was not loaded, however there were two loaded gun magazines with 19 bullets packed alongside the weapon.
The firearm was caught as the man entered the security checkpoint. The X-ray unit alerted on a carry-on bag, which was searched and the firearm removed by a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police officer, who confiscated the gun and cited the man on a weapons charge.
“It is unfortunate that we continue to see travelers carrying their firearms and ammunition to the security checkpoint here at Reagan National Airport and airports across the country,” said John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director the airport. “It has been decades—long before TSA existed—that a regulation has been in place that prohibits passengers from possessing firearms during a flight. If you own a gun and want to transport it on your flight, that’s fine with us as long as it is unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided case and taken to the airline check-in counter
to be declared. The airline will ensure it is transported in the belly of the plane so that nobody has access to it during a fight.”
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.
In addition to the citation by airport police, this individual now faces a stiff financial civil penalty. Civil penalties for carrying a weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.
Firearms are not permitted through a security checkpoint because passengers should not have access to a firearm during a flight. This even applies to travelers with concealed carry permits or are enrolled in the TSA PreCheck® program, who will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges if they bring a gun to a checkpoint. Individuals who bring their gun to a security checkpoint also face a federal financial civil penalty.
Last year, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints nationwide. Eighty-eight percent of those guns were loaded.
TSA firearms catches at airport checkpoints at Reagan National Airport, 2016 to 2023
|
Airport |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 (as of 4/1523) |
|
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) |
19 |
13 |
16 |
14 |
10 |
30 |
29 |
11 |
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 gun 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 will 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.
Unsure if 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. Travelers may send a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872).