BWI Worker Finds Loaded Gun In D.C. Man's Carry-On Bag: Report

LINTHICUM, MD — Security officers stopped a Washington, D.C. man with a loaded handgun at Baltimore/Washington International Airport on Friday, authorities said. A Transportation Security Administration officer spotted the gun in a bag as it passed through an X-ray machine, according to a press release.

TSA turned the man over to the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, who arrested him on gun charges. TSA does not release the identities of arrestees. That is the responsibility of the arresting agency.

Patch requested the name, age and charges of the accused man. We will update this story when police respond to our inquiry.

A TSA spokesperson said the .38-caliber gun was loaded with four bullets. The man said he forgot that he had the gun on him, authorities said. TSA does not believe he had any intention of using the weapon.

"Guns are prohibited in the cabins of airplanes," said Andrea R. Mishoe, TSA’s federal security director for Maryland. "It’s nothing new. In fact, it’s a law that has been in place long before TSA even existed."

Concealed carry permits do not allow passengers to travel through airport security with guns. Travelers can fly with a firearm, but only if they follow the correct steps.

To fly with a gun, it must be unloaded, packed in a checked bag and declared at the luggage drop. The owner must pack the gun in a hard-sided, locked suitcase.

That was the 12th gun caught at BWI in 2020. The 11th catch came Nov. 15, when police arrested North Carolina man Austin Lee Lynch, 23, on similar charges.

Those numbers are down from 2019 when TSA spotted 27 guns at the airport. BWI has seen fewer travelers this year, however, because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

TSA snagged more than 4,000 guns at airports around the country last year, averaging about 12 per day. A TSA report says 87 percent of those guns were loaded.

"Our officers are skilled at their jobs and are United Together, to Protect our Homeland," Mishoe said.

Travelers are usually fined $4,100 the first time they bring a gun to a TSA checkpoint. The penalties can reach $13,669, depending on the circumstances.

TSA explains how to properly travel with a weapon at this link. Passengers can also call their airline for more information.

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