25th Firearm Of 2024 Found At Dulles Airport, Exceeding 2023 Total

DULLES, VA — Customs officers prevented a Manassas man from bringing a loaded firearm onto a flight leaving Washington Dulles International Airport on Tuesday. It was the 25th firearm detected at the airport this year, which was one more than the 24 stopped in 2023.

Transportation Security Administration officers operating the X-ray unit at an airport checkpoint detected the firearm in the traveler’s carry-on bag. TSA officers searched the bag and found a 9mm handgun loaded with 17 bullets, including one in the chamber, according to the TSA.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police confiscated the handgun and cited the traveler on a weapons charge.

The Manassas man now potentially faces up to $15,000 in civil penalties for bringing a firearm to an airport checkpoint.
“Travelers are responsible for the contents of their carry-on bags, so it is vitally important to know that you do not have anything illegal or prohibited inside,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA’s federal security director for the airport. “To help ensure that there is nothing inside, it is a best practice to start with an empty bag. For example, if you don’t know what you may have thrown in your backpack last week, empty it completely and start to pack it from scratch before heading to the airport.”

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 for people traveling with firearms.

The handgun confiscated on Tuesday was the 25th gun stopped at a Dulles Airport security checkpoint in 2024, exceeding the 24 handguns confiscated at the airport last year.