Loaded Gun At Charlotte Airport Leads To Arrest By TSA

CHARLOTTE, NC -- A Florida man attempting to board a flight at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Monday afternoon was arrested at a security checkpoint after a loaded .38 caliber handgun was found in his carry-on bag.

The gun was detected on the checkpoint x-ray conveyor belt, leading to him being charged May 29 with carrying a firearm on airport property. According to the Transportation Security Administration, security screening has caught 24 firearms at checkpoints at the Charlotte airport so far this year. In 2016, TSA found 54 guns in carry-on bags, the agency said in a statement Tuesday.

Air travelers may transport firearms, as long as they are unloaded and stored as checked baggage in a locked hard-sided container. TSA lists its rule for traveling with firearms here.

The arrest at the airport comes less than a week after another headline-grabbing incident, when a New Bern, N.C.-bound passenger attempted to bite a flight attendant before successfully opening an aircraft door after the aircraft pushed back from its gate.

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