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Norfolk International stops woman from bringing handgun, two magazines onto plane

TSA said this was the ninth gun to be detected at the airport so far in 2020. The Alabama woman will face charges for the incident.

NORFOLK, Va. — A spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration said an Alabama woman was stopped from bringing a handgun and two magazines onto a Norfolk International plane on October 8.

TSA representatives found the unloaded weapon, and the two magazines with four bullets each, when they ran an X-ray of her carry-on bag.

Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said she was detained for questioning and cited on weapons charges, and will also face a federal financial civil penalty.

This is the ninth gun found at a Norfolk International checkpoint in 2020. In the whole of 2019, there were15 guns detected (which was down from 21 guns in 2018).

"TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns with them at a checkpoint," Farbstein wrote. 

"A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100 and can go as high as $13,669 depending on any mitigating circumstances," she explained. "This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane."

There are legal ways to declare, package and transport guns for air travel. People who need to travel with a gun can learn how to do so safely on the TSA website.

    

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