2 Loaded Handguns Confiscated At Washington Dulles Airport Checkpoints

DULLES, VA. – Transportation Security Administration officers stopped two men this week from bringing their loaded handguns onto a flight leaving Washington Dulles International Airport, according to a release. The two incidents were unrelated.

In both cases, TSA officers were alerted by the X-ray unit at an airport checkpoint that the two men had weapons in their carry-on baggage. The officers contacted Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police, who confiscated the guns and cited each of the men.

The first man, who was from Florida, was stopped on Sunday with a 9 mm handgun loaded with 12 bullets, including one in the chamber. The other man, who was a Virginia resident, was stopped with a .45 caliber handgun loaded with nine bullets in his bag.

“Our officers do an excellent job of maintaining the safety of all passengers It is disappointing to continue to see travelers bringing their guns to our security checkpoints,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “Let me be very clear on this point — you cannot carry a gun onto a plane. Even gun owners with a concealed carry permit or enrollment in the TSA PreCheck program are not exempt from the no guns on planes policy. Bringing a loaded firearm to a security checkpoint not only slows down the individuals in that lane, but it is also a security and safety concern.”

For carrying a loaded handgun to an airport security checkpoint, the men face stiff financial civil penalty, as well as federal penalties of up to $15,000.

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.

From 2016-2023, TSA officers stopped 139 weapons from being carried onto flights leaving Dulles Airport, including nine this year as of April 25.