TSA stops 17th gun this year at Richmond International Airport

Transportation Security Administration officers stopped the 17th gun of the year at a Richmond International Airport security checkpoint Nov. 1. The total extends the airport’s highest count of illegal guns since 2017 (when 18 were stopped), even though two months remain in the year and about 60% fewer travelers have passed through since the beginning of the pandemic.

The gun owner, a resident of Toano in James City County, was stopped at the airport checkpoint with a .45 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets, including one in the chamber. He also had an additional loose bullet in his carry-on bag. The airport police were alerted by TSA, responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the gun and cited the man on weapons charges.

“Let’s be perfectly clear,” said Chuck Burke, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Richmond International Airport. “Under no circumstances may travelers carry their firearms onto an airplane in a carry-on bag and this includes anyone with a concealed carry permit. If you want to travel with your gun, it needs to be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided case and declared with your airline. The airline will ensure that the firearm is transported in the belly of the aircraft with the other checked baggage so that nobody has access to it during the flight.”

Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should check for firearm laws in the jurisdictions they are flying to and from.

TSA may issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns with them at a checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint results in a $4,100 fine but can reach as high as $13,669 depending on any mitigating circumstances.

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