Man 'Forgot' Loaded Handgun Was In Carry-On Bag At Reagan National

ARLINGTON, VA — Transportation Security Administration officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington stopped a Charlottesville man on Wednesday from bringing his loaded handgun onto a flight.

The .40 caliber gun was loaded with five bullets and was among the man’s carry-on items, TSA said. When TSA officers spotted the firearm, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police were notified, confiscated the weapon and cited the man, officials said.

The man told officials that he was in a rush to fly to Florida to attend a funeral and "forgot that he had his loaded gun with him," according to TSA.

The man’s gun was the 18th gun detected by TSA officers at Reagan National Airport so far in 2022.

“If you own a firearm, it is your responsibility to know where it is at all times,” John Busch, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, said in a statement Thursday.