23rd Gun Confiscated At BWI Airport This Year Passes 2018 Total

ODENTON, MD — Federal officers at Baltimore/Washington International Airport have now confiscated 23 guns at the airport’s checkpoints in 2019, surpassing the total caught during all 12 months of 2018 with more than three months remaining in the year.

The 23rd gun uncovered this year was detected Friday, Sept. 6, when a Montgomery County, Maryland, woman was found to be in possession of a .357 caliber revolver loaded with six bullets in her carry-on bag. She told officials that she forgot that she had her loaded gun with her.

A Transportation Security Administration officer found the gun in the carry-on bag while it was inside the checkpoint X-ray machine. The Maryland Transportation Authority Police were notified, confiscated the firearm and detained the woman, a resident of Clarksburg, for questioning before arresting her on weapons charges.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked and packed separately from ammunition. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality.

According to the BWI Airport, nationwide last year, 4,239 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging about 11.6 firearms per day, approximately a 7 percent increase nationally in firearm discoveries from the total of 3,957 detected in 2017. Eighty-six percent of firearms detected at checkpoints last year were loaded and nearly 34 percent had a bullet in the chamber.

Individuals who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to possible criminal charges from law enforcement. Even travelers with concealed firearm permits are not allowed to bring guns onto airplanes in their carry-on bags. If the individual is a TSA Pre✓® member, that person could even lose their TSA Pre✓® status. In addition, TSA has the authority to assess civil penalties of up to $13,333 for weapons violations. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100.