NORFOLK, Va. — A Nevada woman was caught with a handgun inside her carry-on bag at Norfolk International Airport Monday, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said.
TSA officers found an unloaded .45 caliber gun and seven bullets in a magazine when the woman entered a security checkpoint.
An X-ray unit's alert was activated on the carry-on bag, requiring a closer inspection by officers. The firearm was removed by Norfolk police.
According to TSA, the woman faces a stiff financial civil penalty, with the maximum penalty for bringing a gun to a security checkpoint being $15,000.
“Monday marked the fifth firearm that our Norfolk-based officers have stopped from being carried onto a flight so far this year,” Robin “Chuck” Burke, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, wrote in a news release. “I hope that this incident serves as a reminder to others that passengers are not permitted to bring firearms through a security checkpoint."
Burke added that those with a concealed carry permit or enrolled in TSA's PreCheck program aren't exempt from the policy.
For more information about how to properly travel with a firearm, visit TSA's website.