WASHINGTON — A man reportedly tried to board a flight at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) with a loaded gun in his carry-on bag.
According to a release from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the handgun was loaded with two bullets when it was found in the Loudoun County man's bag at a security checkpoint.
The X-ray unit found the weapon and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police confiscated the gun and cited the man on a weapons charge.
The man told officials he meant to remove the weapon from his bag before his flight but forgot.
“The year is still in its infancy and at this point I ask every owner of a firearm to commit to making a new year’s resolution to pack their weapon properly for a flight if they want to travel with it,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “It is important to know that the proper way to transport a firearm for a flight is to ensure the weapon is not loaded, that it is packed in a locked hard-sided case and then taken to the airline check-in counter, where the airline representative will ensure it is transported in the belly of the plane with cargo and other checked baggage."
Firearms are not allowed through security checkpoints but passengers are permitted to travel with guns in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter. The TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.