Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Reagan National Airport were in for a shocking surprise recently, as they caught a man from King George, Virginia with a loaded gun in his carry-on luggage. The man was quick to point the blame at his wife for the mishap, saying he did not know the gun was inside. He received a citation and faces a civil penalty from TSA which can result in up to $15,000 fine.
John Busch, TSA’s federal security director at Reagan National said it is “disappointing to continue to see travelers carrying their loaded guns to our security checkpoints” and advised that when packing for a flight, people should start with an empty bag so they can be sure no illegal items make their way inside the bag.
He also revealed this is the sixth firearm confiscated by TSA in just three weeks and there is no reasonable excuse for not knowing one has an unsecured gun on them.
Traveling with guns is only allowed if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case that must be checked in with the airline at check-in counter.
Even then, it is prohibited by law to carry firearms into secure areas of airports or onto aircrafts which makes it understandable why TSA confiscate any weapons found on passengers during screenings.
Since 2018 until now 128 guns have been stopped from going through checkpoints at Reagan National Airport alone and 6,542 firearms were seized last year across 262 airport security checkpoints nationwide.
This year already 4,000 handguns have been confiscated all over US airports so far.
It goes without saying that air travel safety should always come first so you must double check that you don’t have any prohibited items before heading out for your flight – including firearms – otherwise you might face very serious consequences.
