VA Man With Loaded Gun Stopped By TSA Officers At Dulles Airport Checkpoint

DULLES, VA — A Virginia man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers from bringing a 9mm handgun onto a flight leaving Washington Dulles International Airport on Thursday, according to a TSA release. The weapon contained seven bullets, including one in the chamber.

TSA officers notified the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police about the gun, which they confiscated and cited the man.

For carrying the gun to a TSA checkpoint, the Troutville, Virginia resident faces a stiff federal penalty that could include thousands of dollars in fines. Even travelers who have a concealed carry permit are not allowed to bring a weapon to an airport checkpoint and would face federal civil charges if they did.

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.

To date, TSA agents have stopped 18 firearms at IAD checkpoints this year. Here are the number of firearms stopped by TSA agents at the airport each year since 2017:

• 2017: 19
• 2018: 17
• 2019: 19
• 2020: 7*
• 2021: 18*

*The airport saw fewer passengers traveling during the pandemic.