TSA Officers At Reagan National Airport Find A Loaded Handgun In A Traveler's Carryon Bag

ARLINGTON, VA — A Fairfax Station man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers Tuesday as he was attempting to board an early morning flight at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) with a loaded handgun, according to a TSA release.

As the traveler was going through a security checkpoint, an X-ray detected a.40 caliber handgun loaded with 13 bullets in the man's carryon bag.

TSA officers alerted the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police, who confiscated the handgun and cited the traveler on a weapons charge.

“Guns and airports don’t mix,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA Federal security director for the airport, in a release. “If you own a firearm, under no circumstances should you bring it to a security checkpoint. If you do so, your gun will be confiscated by the airport police and you will be subject to a heavy civil penalty from TSA that could cost you thousands of dollars.”

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.

As of Tuesday morning, TSA agents have stopped 25 firearms at DCA checkpoints this year. Here are the number of firearms stopped by TSA agents at the airport each year since 2017:

• 2017: 13
• 2018: 18
• 2019: 14
• 2020: 10*
• 2021: 25*

*The airport saw fewer passengers traveling during the pandemic.