ROANOKE, Va. – A man attempted to bring a loaded firearm past a security checkpoint at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport on Wednesday.
According to authorities, the X-ray alerted the TSA team of the carry-on, and upon inspection, they found a 9mm firearm loaded with nine bullets. The firearm was then removed by police.
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The suspect can face a fine as high as $15,000 for the offense, depending on the circumstances.
“Bringing a loaded gun to an airport security checkpoint introduces an unnecessary security risk to our officers and to fellow travelers. We have no issues with people who pack their firearms properly for a flight. Bringing a loaded handgun to a checkpoint isn’t the way to do it. The proper way is to pack your unloaded firearm in a locked hard-sided case. Then take the case to your airline check-in counter and declare that you want to travel with it. The airline will make sure it is transported in the belly of the plane so that nobody has access to it during the flight. It’s a fairly simple process.”
Robin “Chuck” Burke, TSA’s federal security director for the airport
If you’re interested in the complete list of possible penalties for situations like this, click here.
This is the fifth firearm that has been caught at the Roanoke airport this year.