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.