Loaded Firearm Confiscated At Ronald Reagan National Airport: TSA

ARLINGTON, Va. – Transportation Security Administration officers prevented an Arkansas woman from bringing a loaded gun onto a plane leaving Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday.

TSA officers found the 22 caliber firearm loaded with five bullets in the traveler’s carry-on items at one of the airport’s security checkpoints, according to reports.

Washington Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police confiscated the handgun and ammunition, issuing a criminal citation to the Arkansas woman. She faces potential penalties of up to $15,000, according to TSA.

“This was a good catch on the part of our TSA officers,” said John Busch, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “When you look at the size of this gun, which can fold into itself, you can get the idea of just how challenging of a job this is and how skilled our officers are at detecting prohibited and illegal items. Our security officers are diligent and work hard to keep everyone safe. I ask all firearms owners to be as attentive to the contents of their carry-on items as our officers are.”

People are allowed to travel with their handguns, but the handguns must be properly stored in their checked baggage and declared at check-in. In addition, handguns must be stored unloaded in a hard-locked case, with ammunition stored separately. The hard-locked case must be brought to the airline check-in window, where it will be checked with the traveler's baggage. TSA has more information available online or people traveling with firearms.

Including the handgun found on Wednesday,TSA officers have detected a total of 31 firearms at Washington National in 2024. Thirty-nine firearms were stopped at the airport in 2023, which was 10 more than the previous year.