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A Maryland man's .32 caliber gun was discovered in his carry-on bag at a security checkpoint on Saturday, Nov. 12, TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said. It was loaded with six bullets.
Once police were notified, the Capitol Heights resident was cited on weapons charges, and the gun was confiscated, she said.
Then, on Sunday, Nov. 13, TSA officers stopped another man from carrying his .45 caliber gun through a security checkpoint in a carry-on bag, officials said. It also was loaded with six bullets.
The Oklahoma resident was able to work with the police to properly repackage and place the gun in checked baggage, Farbstein said.
The incidents were not related.
Passengers can travel with firearms only in checked baggage and if they're properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter, TSA officials said.
Firearms must be unloaded in a hard-sided locked case that's packed separately from ammunition, they said.
The locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.
TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.
“It is important to remember three things," said John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport.
"First is that our TSA officers are good at their job in preventing guns from being carried onto flights. Second is that gun owners, regardless of their having a permit, are forbidden from carrying their firearm onto a flight. Third is that individuals who bring firearms to airport checkpoints face a stiff federal financial penalty. Hopefully, the weekend incidents will serve as a reminder to other gun owners not to place a firearm in their carry-on bag.”
This marked the 26th and 27th guns caught at DCA checkpoints this year, according to the TSA.
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