Harford County Man Caught With Loaded Gun At BWI, Officials Say

An Edgewood man was caught with a loaded gun at the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) Thursday morning, according to officials. Authorities said he told them he had the 9 mm handgun for work purposes and forgot he had it with him when he went to catch his flight.

It was the first gun confiscated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) this year, according to the agency.

An officer saw the gun inside the Harford County man's bag while it was in the x-ray machine and notified the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, who confiscated the firearm and detained the man to question him before they charged him with weapons violations.

The TSA can penalize people up to $13,333 for weapons violations and advises a first offense for bringing a handgun to a security checkpoint usually results in a $4,100 fine.

Firearms are permitted if they are in checked luggage and packed in a hard-sided, locked case separately from ammunition. They must also be unloaded.

Officials said the Edgewood man's 9 mm handgun was loaded with seven bullets.