Henrico man arrested with loaded gun at RIC checkpoint

Police at Richmond International Airport arrested a Henrico County man Dec. 30 on state weapons charges after a Transportation Security Administration officer found a .38-caliber handgun loaded with eight bullets in the traveler’s carry-on bag.

The TSA officer who was staffing the checkpoint X-ray monitor detected the handgun inside the man’s carry-on bag as it entered the X-ray machine. TSA officials notified the airport police, who responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the handgun and arrested the man.

It was the 14th handgun that TSA officers had caught at the airport in 2019 – the same number they caught in 2018.

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.Nationwide last year, 4,239 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging about 11.6 firearms per day, approximately a 7% increase nationally in firearm discoveries from the total of 3,957 detected in 2017. Eighty-six percent of firearms detected at checkpoints last year were loaded and nearly 34% had a bullet in the chamber.

Travelers who bring firearms to the checkpoint are 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 individual is a TSA Pre✓ member, that person could lose his or her TSA Pre✓ status. 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. The complete list of penalties is posted online at tsa.gov, as well as details about how to properly travel with a firearm.