TSA officers intercept two guns in two days at Reagan National Airport

ARLINGTON, Va. – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport intercepted two firearms in two days last week, on what were two of the busiest days in TSA history. The incidents were not related.

On Thursday, May 23, TSA officers intercepted a .40 caliber handgun loaded with 14 bullets including one in the chamber. The Alexandria, Va., man told officials that he forgot that he had his loaded gun with him.

The very next day, on Friday, May 24, TSA officers detected a .380 caliber hand gun loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber belonging to a Florida man.

In each instance the firearms were detected among the carry-on items of the travelers. Metropolitan Airports Authority Police were notified, responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the weapons and cited each individual on a weapons charge. Law enforcement officers confiscate firearms, not TSA officials. 

“It has been a very busy Memorial Day holiday travel period here and across the country,” said John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Our officers are good at their jobs and even with sky-high checkpoint volume, they remain alert and vigilant in screening individuals who are arriving at our checkpoints. I commend our officers on their good catches in preventing these individuals from boarding their flights with a loaded firearm.”

Guns are not permitted through the security checkpoint and the travelers face a stiff financial civil penalty from TSA. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.

“Travelers need to pay more attention to the items that they have inside their carry-on bags,” Busch added. “Travelers are responsible for the contents of their carry-on bags. Bringing a firearm to one of our checkpoints on days that we were setting records for the highest checkpoint volume in our agency’s 22-day history was not only careless, but it slowed down the security screening process for other travelers, which certainly was not appreciated.”

TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.

TSA firearms caught at TSA checkpoints at Reagan National Airport, 2018 to 2024

Bringing a firearm 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 a concealed carry permit does not allow 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.

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).