Loaded Gun Found At BWI Airport, Fredericksburg Man Arrested

Fredericksburg VA

18 March, 2021

1:47 PM

Description

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Federal officers discovered a loaded handgun in a man's carry-on bag at a checkpoint at Baltimore Washington International Airport. Authorities arrested the man, who they identified as a Fredericksburg resident, on a weapons charge, according to a news release from the Transportation Security Administration. The gun was discovered when the man put his carry-on bag through the X-ray machine at a TSA checkpoint. The man was detained and arrested by Maryland Transportation Authority Police. The man said he forgot that he had the loaded gun with him. The gun was a .357 caliber Glock handgun with 13 rounds loaded. Andrea Mishoe is the TSA's federal security director for Maryland. "Claiming that you forgot that you had a gun with you is inexcusable," Mishoe said in a news release. "If you own a firearm, you need to know where it is at all times—especially when it's loaded." This was the fourth gun that TSA agents found at the airport in the past week. It is the fifth gun that was confiscated at BWI Airport this year. "Please do not come to my airport checkpoints with loaded guns," Mishoe said. "You will incur a substantial civil penalty from the federal government and be arrested. We will hold you accountable for your failure to follow the mandated guidelines." The TSA can enforce a number of financial penalties on a person if they carry a gun into an airport. A gun at a checkpoint brings security to a standstill, and can delay other travelers who have a flight to catch, according to the TSA news release. Guns can be transported in checked baggage on some airlines. The firearm must be unloaded, locked, and in a hard case. The TSA details how to safely transport a firearm on their website. Mishoe offered a helpful reminder for travelers who might want to carry their firearm on a plane. "Guns are not allowed to be carried onto airplanes. Period."