TROUTVILLE, Va. – A Troutville, Virginia man is facing a big fine after police stopped him from bringing his 9mm handgun onto his flight at the Washington Dulles International Airport on Thursday.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says after they stopped the man, they immediately alerted the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police, who then came and confiscated the gun. TSA says at the time it was confiscated, the gun was loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber.
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Police cited the man and he also faces a “stiff federal financial penalty” for bringing a gun to a TSA checkpoint.
As of Nov. 11, 2021, TSA has caught 18 guns at the Washington Dulles International Airport, which is 11 more firearms than in 2020.
Bringing firearms to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty and can result in a fine ranging from $3,000-$13,910 plus a criminal referral, according to the TSA website.
Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in checked baggage as long as they are properly packed and declared at their airline ticket counter. They also must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case and packed separately from ammunition.
Here’s a breakdown of the firearms caught at the Washington Dulles Internation Airport checkpoints from 2017 to 2021:
| Year | Firearms Caught |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 19 |
| 2018 | 17 |
| 2019 | 19 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 18 |