A man has blamed his wife for a mishap that stopped him getting through airport security and could result in a hefty $15,000 (£12,317) fine.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the US state of Virginia, discovered a loaded handgun in the man’s carry-on luggage as he went through an X-ray machine.
The weapon was found and confiscated upon inspection of the hand luggage, although the passenger denied any knowledge that it was in there and said his spouse had packed his bag.
The TSA confirmed that, depending on the circumstances, a large fee could be levied.
Officials urged gun owners to ‘maintain awareness of where their firearms are stored’— (TSA)
It was the sixth firearm to be intercepted at the airport in three weeks.
According to the TSA, 6,542 firearms were caught at 262 out of 430 airport security checkpoints across the US in 2023. Of those guns, 88 per cent were loaded.
John Busch, another federal security director at Reagan National Airport, told Fox News: “It is disappointing to continue to see travellers carrying their loaded guns to our security checkpoints at Reagan National.
“My advice is that when packing for a flight to start with a completely empty bag, and all travellers must pack their own bag, so that there are no surprises when someone gets to our checkpoint.”
He added: “There is no reasonable excuse for not knowing you are carrying an unsecured, loaded firearm in your bag.”
The incident occurred on 21 September, and just days later a woman attempted to bring a loaded gun through security at Pittsburgh International Airport. She is also facing a large fine.
In the US, passengers are only permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage, and they must be unloaded and packed in a “hard-sided locked case” that “must be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared”, according to TSA rules.
