MD Man With Loaded Handgun Arrested At Reagan National Airport

ARLINGTON, VA — Police arrested a Bethesda, Maryland, man on Monday after he was stopped by security officers with a loaded handgun at a checkpoint at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

The .40 caliber gun was loaded with 13 bullets and was packed in the man’s carry-on bag, the TSA said.

It was the 30th gun that TSA officers at the airport have detected at one of the checkpoints, which ties the record at Reagan National Airport set in 2021. The new record follows a national trend in which airports have seen a spike in the number of people trying to bring guns onto planes.

Terrell P. Clayton, 50, of Bethesda was the person charged by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police on Monday. The loaded handgun was packed inside his carry-on bag and was detected as the man entered the security checkpoint, according to the TSA.

The X-ray unit alerted the TSA to take a closer look and inspect the carry-on bag, which was opened by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police for a closer inspection. Police confiscated the gun and arrested Clayton.

The man faces a financial civil penalty from the TSA. The penalty for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.

“Our officers are good at their jobs and kept a dangerous weapon from being carried onto a flight,” said John Busch, TSA’s federal security director for Reagan National Airport. "This was the 30th gun that our officers have seen travelers bring to one of our checkpoints this year, which ties a record with two and half months remaining in the year."

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, according to the TSA.

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