This loaded firearm was detected by TSA officers at Washington Dulles International Airport on Feb. 11. (TSA photo)
DULLES, Va. – A Haymarket, Va., woman was cited by police after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) intercepted a firearm among her carry-on items on Tuesday, Feb. 11, one day after they detected a handgun in the carry-on bag of a Winchester, Va., man. The woman’s .380 caliber handgun was loaded with six bullets, including one in the chamber.
The firearm was caught as the woman entered the security checkpoint and the X-ray unit alerted on her carry-on bag. TSA officers identified the firearm inside the woman’s bag and notified the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police who confiscated the firearm and cited the traveler on a weapons charge.
“I’m extremely proud of our officers for their continued focus on our mission, and at the same time I’m highly disappointed that travelers keep showing up at our checkpoints with their guns,” said Eric Beane, TSA’s Deputy Federal Security Director for the airport. “When someone carries a firearm to one of our checkpoints, they are introducing a security threat into the entire airport environment. There’s truly no excuse for bringing a deadly weapon to our checkpoints because you can’t carry it onto a flight.”
In addition to the citation by airport police, this individual now faces a stiff financial civil penalty. Civil penalties for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000. 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.
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.
Firearms caught by TSA at Washington Dulles International National Airport checkpoints, 2016 to 2025
Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 As of 2/11/25 |
Guns caught at Washington Dulles International Airport checkpoints |
24 |
19 |
17 |
19 |
7 |
19 |
25 |
24 |
29 |
3 |
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. 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).