TSA officers at Reagan National Airport intercepted this loaded gun at a TSA security checkpoint on October 23. (TSA photo)
ARLINGTON, Va. – An Arkansas woman was cited by police after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport intercepted a firearm among her carry-on items at one of the airport checkpoints on Wednesday (October 23). The .22 caliber firearm was loaded with five bullets.
When TSA officers intercepted the firearm they notified the Washington Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the weapon along with the ammunition and issued the woman a criminal citation.
Guns are not permitted through the security checkpoint and the woman now faces a stiff Federal financial civil penalty from TSA in addition to the criminal citation issued by the police. The Federal penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.
“This was a good catch on the part of our TSA officers,” said John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “When you look at the size of this gun, which can fold into itself, you can get the idea of just how challenging of a job this is and how skilled our officers are at detecting prohibited and illegal items. Our security officers are diligent and work hard to keep everyone safe. I ask all firearms owners to be as attentive to the contents of their carry-on items as our officers are.”
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
| Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 (As of 10/23/24) |
| Guns caught at the Reagan National Airport checkpoints | 16 | 14 | 10 | 30 | 29 | 39 | 31 |
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).