Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) prevented a Delaware man from bringing his handgun onto a flight on Monday, July 2. The 9mm firearm was not loaded.
The weapon was caught as the man entered the security checkpoint and the X-ray unit alerted on his carry-on bag. TSA officers identified the firearm among the man’s carry-on items and notified the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police who confiscated the firearm and cited the man on a weapons charge.
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.
“It is disappointing that we continue to see travelers bring firearms to our checkpoints,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “Part of being a responsible owner of a firearm is knowing where it is at all times and knowing that it is not permitted to be carried through a checkpoint and into the cabin of a plane. If you want to travel with your firearm, there’s a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. The wrong way is to bring it to a checkpoint. The right way is to unload it and pack it in a hard-sided locked case. Then take the case to your airline check-in counter to declare that you want to fly with it. At that point, the airline will ensure it is transported in the belly of the plane where nobody has access to it during a flight. It’s a simple process.”
Last year, 6,735 firearms were caught at airport security checkpoints nationwide, of which 93 percent were loaded.
Firearms caught by TSA at Washington Dulles International National Airport checkpoints, 2016 to 2024
