Dumfries Man Tried To Bring Loaded Gun Through Norfolk Airport Security: TSA

NORFOLK, VA — A Dumfries man tried to bring a loaded handgun through a security checkpoint at the Norfolk International Airport on Saturday, Transportation Security Administration officials said.

The man, who authorities did not identify by name, was charged by police. If convicted, the man could face up to a year in prison, based on Virginia's sentencing guidelines. He could also face a financial penalty of up to $15,000.

Authorities said the man had a 9mm Taurus handgun in has carry-on bag. The firearm was loaded with 15 rounds.

TSA officers learned about the gun as it went through the security checkpoint's X-ray system, officials said. Local police officers removed the gun from the bag and charged the man.

Robin "Chuck" Burke is the TSA's federal security director for the Norfolk International Airport.

"Summer travel season has begun this past weekend was one of the busiest travel weekends of the year nationwide with congested airport terminals and busy security checkpoints," Burke said in a news release. "It’s no time to show up at an airport security checkpoint with a gun. It appears that this traveler skipped a few important steps when he packed his firearm."

Burke noted that firearms should never be brought through a security checkpoint.

"The gun was in a hard-sided case, but it needed to be unloaded and then that case needed to be locked and taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared so that the airline representative could ensure that the firearm was transported in the belly of the plane where nobody would have access to it during a flight," Burke said. "That’s the proper way to pack a firearm for a trip. If you own a firearm, make sure you do not bring it to a security checkpoint."

TSA officers have caught 15 guns at the Norfolk International Airport so far this year. In 2022, they found 27 guns.

More information about how to properly travel with a firearm is available on the TSA's website.