Gun Loaded With 12 Bullets Confiscated From MD Man At Reagan National

ARLINGTON, VA — A Maryland man was stopped by security officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday with a 9mm handgun loaded with 12 bullets in his carry-on bag, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

Another gun magazine, also loaded with 12 bullets, was found next to the handgun in the man’s carry-on bag, TSA said.

The man, Christian Harriott, 60, of Bowie, Maryland, was caught as he entered a security checkpoint at Reagan National Airport, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. The X-ray unit alerted a TSA officer to check the carry-on bag, which was opened by police for a closer inspection. Police confiscated the gun and cited the man on state charges.

The civil penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000, TSA said.

“Firearms should never be brought to the security checkpoint in carry-on luggage and travelers should certainly be aware of that rule, which has been in place for decades before TSA even existed,” said John Busch, TSA’s federal security director for Reagan National Airport.

This is the 23rd firearm to be caught at TSA checkpoints at Reagan National Airport so far in 2023. A record 30 firearms were caught at the airport in 2021 and 29 were caught in 2022.

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

In 2022, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints nationwide. Eighty-eight percent of those guns were loaded. So far this year, more than 4,000 handguns have been stopped at security checkpoints nationwide by TSA officers.

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