2nd Loaded Gun In 3 Days Found In Carry-On Bag At Dulles Airport

DULLES, VA — For the second time in three days, Transportation Security Administration officers stopped a Loudoun County resident from bringing a loaded handgun onto a flight leaving Washington Dulles International Airport, according to TSA.

On Sunday, the X-ray unit at one of the airport security checkpoints alerted TSA officers that it had detected a firearm in the carry-on bag of a Sterling traveler, according to a release. The officers searched the bag, recovering a 9mm caliber handgun loaded with 14 bullets.

Officers from the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority Police were notified. They confiscated the firearm and issued a criminal citation to the traveler. He faces a potential financial penalty of up to $15,000 for bringing a weapon to an airport checkpoint.

Related: Loaded Gun In Carry-On Bag Surprised Leesburg Traveler: TSA

A similar incident happened on Thursday, when TSA officers found a loaded gun inside the carry-on bag of a Leesburg man at a Dulles Airport security checkpoint.

“It is unfortunate that we continue to see individuals bringing loaded guns to our checkpoints,” said Eric Beane, TSA’s acting federal security director for the airport. “Firearms have been prohibited from being carried into the cabin of airplanes long before TSA ever existed, so this is certainly nothing new.”

TSA officers detected 29 firearms at Washington Dulles International Airport in 2024, which was five more than the 24 stopped in 2023. So far, TSA officers have stopped seven guns at Dulles Airport checkpoints in 2025.

How To Travel Legally With A Firearm

Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case, with ammunition stored separately. Then the locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter, where it will be checked with the traveler's baggage.

The TSA has details online that explain how to properly travel with a firearm.