Loaded Gun Found In Virginia Woman's Bag At BWI Airport

HANOVER, MD — A Virginia woman arrested at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Thursday morning for having a loaded handgun in her purse told security officials that her son placed the weapon in her bag. Transportation Security Administration officers spotted the firearm in her handbag at a security checkpoint.

The Kilmarnock, Virginia, resident had a .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun loaded with five bullets in her purse, the TSA says in a news release. One bullet was in the chamber. She told officials that her son put the gun in her bag before her flight.

TSA officers detected the gun as the woman entered the security checkpoint and placed her carry-on items on the X-ray conveyor belt. Maryland Transportation Authority Police confiscated the firearm and arrested the woman on weapons charges.

The June 29 gun seizure marks the 16th firearm that TSA officers have detected at BWI Airport so far this year, says a TSA spokeswoman. In 2016 a total of 24 firearms were detected at the airport’s checkpoints by TSA officers, which puts BWI Airport on pace to break last year's record for firearms confiscated.

The top five airports where TSA officers detected guns at checkpoints in 2016 were: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International with 198; Dallas/Fort Worth International with 192; George Bush Intercontinental at Houston with 128; Phoenix Sky Harbor International with 101; and Denver International with 98. These same airports were in the top five for guns at checkpoints in 2014 and 2015.

Authorities pointed out that firearms are never allowed at security checkpoints. Passenger who try to transport firearms through security checkpoints face criminal charges and up to $12,000 in civil penalties.
TSA officers screened more than 738 million passengers nationwide in 2016, or 43 million more passengers than in 2015.

In total, 3,391 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging approximately nine firearms per day, about a 28 percent increase in firearm discoveries from the total of 2,653 in 2015. That's a record number of firearms seized. Eighty-three percent of the guns caught in 2016 were loaded.

What is the proper procedure for transporting firearms on flights?

Firearms are never permitted in carry-on bags. Firearms are permitted in checked bags if the following requirements are met:

• They are declared to the airline in advance.
• They are unloaded and properly packed.
• The carrier possesses the necessary permits.

Firearms carried as checked baggage must be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided container, and declared to the airline at check-in. Read the guidelines.

Firearm parts, including magazines, clips, bolts and firing pins, are prohibited in carry-on, but may be transported in checked baggage.

Passengers should check with their airline if ammunition is permitted in checked baggage. Small arms ammunitions for personal use must be packed in fiber, wood or metal boxes designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. Ask about limitations or fees.

More information on how to travel with a firearm can be found on the TSA's website.

»Patch file photo of BWI Airport; TSA officers prevented a woman from bringing this handgun onto an airplane on Thursday, June 29, at BWI Airport. (Photo courtesy of TSA.)