Chesterfield man charged after bringing gun to RIC checkpoint

A Chesterfield man received two citations from police at Richmond International Airport Jan. 29 after a Transportation Security Administration officer found a .380 caliber handgun in the man's carry-on bag. It was not loaded.

It was the first time officials had found a gun at the checkpoint this year, following 14 such occurrences each of the past two years.

TSA officials notified the airport police, who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the handgun and detained the man for questioning before issuing him a citation on a weapons charge in addition to a citation for not having a permit to carry the gun.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality.

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

Nationwide last year, 4,432 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging about 12.1 firearms per day, approximately a 5% increase nationally in firearm discoveries from the total of 4,239 detected in 2018. Eighty-seven percent of firearms detected at checkpoints last year were loaded.

Anyone who brings firearms to a security checkpoint is subject to possible criminal charges from law enforcement. Even travelers with concealed firearm permits are not allowed to bring guns onto airplanes in their carry-on bags. If the person is a TSA Pre-check member, he or she could lose that status. In addition, TSA has the authority to assess civil penalties of up to $13,333 for weapons violations. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100.