Loaded Handgun Confiscated At National Airport Leads To Weapons Charge

ARLINGTON, VA — A Lorton man was stopped from bringing a loaded handgun onto a flight leaving Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday, according to a Transportation Security Administration release.

After noticing the .25 caliber handgun among the traveler's carryon items, TSA agents alerted Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police. They confiscated the firearm and cited the man on a weapons charge, according to the release.

The handgun, which was loaded with six bullets, was the 21st firearm detected by TSA officers at the airport in 2022.

“Our TSA officers continue to be focused on our mission by detecting firearms and other prohibited items at security checkpoints as well as in checked baggage,” said John Busch, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, in a release. “We encourage travelers to have a greater awareness of what they are packing for their flight by using the tools that TSA has made available to help determine if an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither. This will reduce the troubling number of passengers bringing weapons to the security checkpoints across the system."

Firearms Caught At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Checkpoints

• 2017: 13
• 2018: 16
• 2019: 14
• 2020: 10
• 2021: 30
• 2022: 21

People are allowed to travel with their handguns, but the handguns must be properly stored in their checked baggage and declared at check-in. In addition, handguns must be stored unloaded in a hard-locked case, with ammunition stored separately. The hard-locked case must be brought to the airline check-in window, where it will be checked with the traveler's baggage. TSA has more information available online for people traveling with firearms.