MD Man Forgetting About Firearm In Carry-On Bag Unacceptable: TSA

ARLINGTON, VA — A Prince George's County, Maryland man's excuse that he'd forgotten about the loaded firearm Transportation Security Administration officers found in his carry-on items was unacceptable, according to an official at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

While searching the carry-on items of a Capitol Heights man at an airport checkpoint, TSA officers found a 5.7 caliber firearm loaded with 23 bullets, including one in the chamber. The traveler told officials that he'd forgotten that he had the firearm with him.

“Responsible gun owners know where their guns are at all times,” said John Busch, TSA’s federal security director for the airport, in a release. “Telling us that you forgot that you were carrying a loaded gun is no excuse. It is unacceptable to bring a gun to an airport checkpoint. Now this individual faces a federal financial civil penalty in addition to having to deal with the criminal citation issued by the police.”

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police confiscated the weapon and cited the man on a weapons charge. He faces possible fines of up to $15,000 for bringing a firearm to an airport checkpoint.

RELATED: 2 Loaded Handguns Found In Carry-On Bags At National Airport

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.

Including the handgun found on Thursday, TSA officers have detected a total of 19 firearms at Reagan National in 2024. Thirty-nine firearms were stopped at the airport in 2023, which was 10 more than in the previous year.