Alexandria Man With Loaded Handgun Caught At Reagan National Airport

ARLINGTON, VA — Transportation Security Administration officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington prevented another man from bringing a loaded handgun onto his flight on Wednesday.

The gun marked the third gun caught at one of the airport security checkpoints within the past week, TSA said. The total number of guns confiscated at Reagan National Airport checkpoints now stands at six in the first 25 days of 2023.

On Wednesday, an Alexandria man was prevented from bringing his 9mm handgun onto his flight. The gun was loaded with 10 bullets.

The X-ray unit spotted the gun in the man’s carry-on bag, which was searched, and the firearm removed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police, who confiscated the gun and cited the man.

“It is disappointing to see so many individuals bringing their guns to our security checkpoints,” John Busch, TSA’s federal security director for Reagan National Airport, said in a statement Thursday. “Yesterday’s gun catch marked the sixth firearm that our officers have detected so far this month. I sure hope this is not the new normal here at Reagan National Airport.”

As the sixth gun detected at Reagan National Airport so far this year, the airport is on a pace to easily pass the record of 30 guns confiscated by TSA officers at Reagan National Airport in 2021. In 2022, officers confiscated 29 guns at security checkpoints.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case. Then the locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared.

In addition to the citation by airport police, the Alexandria man now faces a financial civil penalty — the penalty for carrying a weapon was recently increased to a maximum of $15,000.

RELATED: 2 Men Prevented From Bringing Guns On Flights At Reagan National