FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — A Manassas man who brought a 9mm handgun to the airport was stopped by TSA ahead of boarding a flight Monday.
TSA officers at Washington Dulles International Airport confiscated the gun, as well as a magazine loaded with 15 bullets. They then cited the man, who now also faces a stiff financial penalty for carrying a gun to a TSA checkpoint.
Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on the circumstance, according to TSA.
"This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane," the agency explained via press release.
TSA also added that if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck, that individual will also lose their TSA PreCheck privileges. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online.
Passengers are, however, permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter. Those firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case, and packed separately from ammunition. Then the locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.
"Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and passengers should do their homework to make sure that they are not violating any local firearm laws," TSA says. "Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition."
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