PA Man Cited For Bringing Loaded Handgun To Dulles Airport Checkpoint

DULLES, VA — An officer from the Transportation Security Administration prevented a Pennsylvania man from bringing a loaded handgun onto a flight leaving Washington Dulles international Airport on Monday, according to a release.

After the Cumberland County, Pennsylvania resident entered a security checkpoint at the airport, the X-ray unit alerted a TSA officer to examine the man's carryon bag. That's when the officer discovered a 9mm handgun loaded with eight bullets.

TSA officials contacted the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police, who confiscated the firearm. They then cited the man on a weapons charge.

“With the Thanksgiving holiday travel season behind us, our TSA officers remain focused on their mission to continue to stop weapons from being carried through our security checkpoints,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA federal security director for the airport, in a release. “Firearms are not permitted through a security checkpoint because passengers should not have access to a firearm during a flight. This even applies to travelers with concealed carry permits or are enrolled in the TSA PreCheck program. Individuals who bring their gun to a security checkpoint face a stiff federal financial civil penalty. Travelers may take their gun on their trip by packing it properly to be transported with cargo and checked baggage.”

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case, and packed separately from ammunition. The locked case must be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.The handgun found by the TSA was the 22nd handgun to be confiscated at the airport since the beginning of the year.

The following is a list of the number of handguns caught at Washington Dulles International Airport from 2017 through 2022:

• 2017 - 13
• 2018 - 16
• 2019 - 14
• 2020 - 10
• 2021 - 30
• 2022 - 20 (As of Nov. 29)