NORFOLK, Va. — A man from South Carolina was cited on Saturday after TSA agents found a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag.
The man was cited on weapons charges by police at Norfolk International Airport.
The TSA officer who was working the checkpoint X-ray monitor detected the .38 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets inside the man’s carry-on bag as it entered the X-ray machine.
This was the 11th handgun the TSA officers have caught at the Norfolk International Airport this year. In 2018, officers stopped 21 guns at the airport’s checkpoints.
Nationwide last year, 4,239 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging about 11.6 firearms per day.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition.
However, firearm possession laws vary by state and locality.
Just so travelers know, anyone who brings a firearm to the checkpoint is subject to possible criminal charges from law enforcement. Even travelers with concealed firearm permits are not allowed to bring guns onto airplanes in their carry-on bags.
On top of that, TSA has the authority to assess civil penalties of up to $13,333 for weapons violations. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100. Click here to view a complete list of penalties.
Need to learn how to properly travel with a firearm? Click here.
