Chesterfield County woman caught by TSA with loaded gun at Richmond International Airport 

Transportation Security Administration officers at Richmond International Airport prevented a Chesterfield County woman from carrying a loaded handgun onto her flight June 18. The gun, loaded with six bullets, was detected in the X-ray machine among her carry-on items at the security checkpoint. it was the ninth time this year a gun had been stopped at the airport’s security checkpoint, following 22 such occurrences last year (a record in recent years).

TSA alerted police, who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the handgun and cited the woman, a resident of Midlothian, on weapons charges. In addition to being arrested by the police, she also faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty for bringing a loaded gun to an airport security checkpoint.

TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. 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. If a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck, that individual will lose his or her TSA PreCheck privileges.

TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Travelers also should contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.