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This week, TSA agents at the airport made a disturbing discovery when a traveler attempted to sneak a shotgun through security that was surreptitiously concealed in a golf bag seconding as an apparent gun case.
Nearly a dozen firearms have now been seized from travelers at the airport in 2023, continuing an alarming trend in recent years.
The latest recovery of a weapon comes on the heels of two similar instances in the region, when passengers attempted to bring handguns on flights to both Regan National Airport and Dulles International Airport in separate instances on the same day.
During one of those instances, John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director at Reagan National Airport made note that travelers can still fly with their weapons, but only in checked bags, if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case.
Those cases should then be taken to the airline’s check-in counter to be declared as a precaution.
“The spring travel season is here and checkpoint operations are very busy,” Busch said. “We’ve seen an increase in travelers, and I am personally grateful that TSA officers here at Reagan National Airport and across the country remain focused on their mission.
“Unfortunately when a gun-owner forgets where they store their firearm and tries to bring it through our checkpoint we have to stop the screening operation and move all passengers to another area,” he continued. “The unsecured firearm in a traveler’s carry-on presents a high risk in a crowded environment and we take these situations very seriously.
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