PG County Woman Brings Loaded Gun To BWI Airport: TSA

HANOVER, MD — A Prince George's County woman has been charged with bringing a loaded handgun to Baltimore-Washington International Airport on July 12. Federal authorities say it's the 19th gun seized at BWI so far this year, which is ahead of the record pace set for the number of firearms confiscated from travelers in one year.

The woman from Camp Springs was stopped with the .40-caliber handgun in her carry-on bag, according to Transportation Security Administration officials. It was loaded with 10 bullets, including one in the chamber. The traveler told TSA officials that she forgot that she had the gun with her.

When the TSA officers spotted the gun in the security checkpoint X-ray machine they contacted the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, who confiscated the weapon and cited the flier on weapons charges before she was released to catch her flight, according to a TSA news release.

Authorities say 22 guns were caught at BWI Airport checkpoints during all of 2018, and this year's seizure count is ahead of the record 26 guns seized at the airport in 2017.

Nationwide last year, 4,239 firearms were spotted in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging about 11.6 firearms per day, about 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 in 2018 were loaded and nearly 34 percent had a bullet in the chamber, the TSA says.

Firearms are never allowed at security checkpoints. Passengers who try to carry firearms through security checkpoints face criminal charges and the TSA has the authority to assess fines of up to $13,000. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $3,900.

What is the proper procedure for transporting firearms on flights?

Firearms are never permitted in carry-on bags. Weapons can by 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.

More information on how to travel with a firearm is on the TSA's website.