NoVa Man Brings Gun To Reagan Airport: Authorities

ARLINGTON, VA -- Transportation Security Administration officers stopped a man who tried to bring a loaded handgun onto a flight at Reagan National Airport last week, according to a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) statement.

MWAA police cited the Manassas man, who was not identified, on a state weapons charge after he brought a carry-on bag to a checkpoint with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun inside on Nov. 2, the statement reads. The gun had seven bullets, including one in the chamber.

"The TSA officer who was staffing the checkpoint X-ray machine detected the handgun as it passed along the checkpoint conveyor belt," the statement reads. "TSA officers immediately contacted the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police, and when they arrived at the checkpoint, they confiscated the firearm and cited the man on a state weapons charge. There was no impact to airport operations."

The TSA permits passengers to travel with firearms, but only if they are in checked package and are properly packaged and declared. They must be unloaded, packed in a hard case, locked, and separate from ammunition.

Image via MWAA