TSA Officers Have Stopped 19 People With Firearms At Dulles Airport In 2021

DULLES, VA — A Manassas man faces federal charges after he was stopped on Monday from carrying a 9 mm handgun and a magazine loaded with 15 bullets onto a plane at Washington Dulles International Airport, according to a Transportation Security Administration release.

After detaining the man, TSA officers notified the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) police, who confiscated the gun and cited the man for bringing a gun to a TSA checkpoint.

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 19 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: 19*

*The airport saw fewer passengers traveling during the pandemic.

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TSA Stops VA Man With Loaded Gun At Dulles Airport Checkpoint