Bethesda Woman With Loaded Gun Stopped At Reagan National Airport

ARLINGTON, VA — A Bethesda woman was prevented from bringing a loaded 9mm handgun onto her flight at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Christmas Eve, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

The 9mm gun was loaded with six bullets when TSA officers detected the weapon among the woman’s carry-on items.

The gun was the 39th that TSA officers at Reagan National Airport have detected at the airport's checkpoints so far this year, which is the most guns caught in a single year. The previous high number of firearms stopped at the airport in a single year was 30, which took place in 2021.

An X-ray unit alerted the TSA to take a closer look inside the woman’s carry-on bag. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police confiscated the gun and cited Monique Sneed, 43, of Bethesda on a weapons charge, officials said.

“This traveler was cited by the police and will likely receive a federal civil penalty of thousands of dollars,” John Busch, TSA’s federal security director at Reagan National Airport, said in a statement. “Responsible gun owners know where their guns are at all times, and they know not to bring them to an airport checkpoint.”

Guns are not permitted through the security checkpoint, and the woman faces a financial civil penalty from TSA. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.

Passengers are only permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage. Firearms must be unloaded and then packed in a hard-sided locked case. The locked case must be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared, according to the TSA.