TSA officers at Reagan National Airport intercepted this gun at a TSA security checkpoint on December 1. (TSA photo)
ARLINGTON, Va. – An Alexandria, Va., man was cited by police after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers intercepted a loaded gun among the man’s carry-on items on Sunday, December 1. The 9mm handgun was loaded with 15 bullets and was detected on what turned out to be the busiest day in TSA’s 23-year history.
TSA officers screened 3,087,392 people at security checkpoints nationwide yesterday, the most people screened in a single day in the agency’s 23-year history and only the second time that more than 3 million people were screened in a single day.
When TSA officers intercepted the firearm, they notified the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the gun and issued a citation to the man. Additionally, the man faces a Federal civil penalty for bringing a loaded firearm to a TSA checkpoint. The Federal penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.
“Bringing a loaded firearm to a security checkpoint is a serious matter,” explained John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “During the holiday travel period, thousands of individuals who do not travel frequently are flying to spend the holiday with family and friends. It is exactly when individuals should be spending an extra minute or two going through their carry-on bags to ensure that nothing prohibited or illegal is inside one of their bags. Gun owners especially need to know that they cannot bring a firearm onto a flight with them. A very important part of being a gun owner is knowing where your firearm is at all times and knowing it is not inside a carry-on bag.
“I’m proud of how focused and vigilant our officers have been during this busy travel period. They gave up their holiday to ensure that thousands of others could enjoy a get-away to visit relatives, friends or just enjoy a relaxing vacation,” he added.
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. To transport a firearm for a flight, it must be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided case and declared at the airline counter so it can be placed in the belly of the aircraft with the checked baggage.
TSA firearms caught at TSA checkpoints at Reagan National Airport, 2018 to 2024
| Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 (As of 12/1/24) |
| Guns caught at the Reagan National Airport checkpoints | 16 | 14 | 10 | 30 | 29 | 39 | 37 |
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/aggravating 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).