NORFOLK, Va. — A preventable crime is creating what authorities call a dangerous trend at Norfolk International Airport.
Transportation Security Administration officers said they've caught 13 guns at the security checkpoint so far this year, some of which were loaded.
Many of the people who bring those guns end up facing criminal prosecution.
Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said his office is actively prosecuting 19 cases of people who brought a gun to the airport without properly storing and declaring the gun to the airline.
TSA officers say it's not an excuse to forget you have a gun in your carry-on.
“Now, the most common excuse we hear is, 'I forgot I had my gun with me.' Well, that just doesn’t fly," said TSA Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein.
Farbstein said many of the guns they catch are through their x-ray machines at security checkpoints.
Farbstein said forgetting that you have a gun at the airport can turn dangerous.
“Even if that individual has no ill intent, perhaps somebody who sees it makes a grab for it, and then there could be an accidental discharge. You just never know," said Farbstein.
Farbstein said anyone caught with a gun could face criminal prosecution from the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney's Office.
“We use the part of the law that says that if you bring a gun to the airport, you’re going to lose that gun," said Fatehi.
Fatehi said his office keeps track of how many people they prosecute for not properly packing and declaring their gun at Norfolk International Airport.
“Starting in 2019, we reached an agreement with airport police as a courtesy to them and as a public service to the citizens of Norfolk. We are involved in every misdemeanor firearms case charged at the airport," said Fatehi.
Fatehi said the number of cases like this is rising. Current data shows from 2016 to this month, they've prosecuted a total of 84 cases. Fatehi said these kinds of cases take up a lot of resources.
“It ties up the airport police’s time, and ties up my prosecutors' time, and it ties up the court's time," said Fatehi.
TSA said officers seized more than 5,000 guns last year nationwide and 86% of them were loaded.
