Reston Man Charged With Having Handgun At BWI Airport

HANOVER, MD — Federal security officers spotted an unloaded 9 mm handgun in a Fairfax County, Virginia, man's carry-on bag at a Baltimore Washington International Airport security checkpoint April 5. The gun seized was the 11th handgun caught by Transportation Security Administration officers this year, half of the total number of firearms seized during all of 2018, when 22 guns were spotted at BWI checkpoints, according to a TSA news release.

If the number of guns that travelers bring to BWI Airport checkpoints continues at this pace, it is likely to set a record for guns at the airport checkpoints well before the end of the year, TSA authorities noted in a press release.

The gun owned by a Reston man, was not loaded, and was spotted in the checkpoint X-ray machine. Maryland Transportation Authority Police confiscated the gun and arrested him on a state weapons charge.

A record 26 guns were seized at BWI Airport in 2017.

SEE ALSO: TSA Gun Seizures Ahead Of Record Pace At 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, 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.

Authorities say 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. 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.

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