BWI Security Catches VA Man With Loaded Gun: Report

LINTHICUM, MD — Security stopped a Virginia man with a loaded handgun at Baltimore/Washington International Airport last Wednesday, authorities said. A Transportation Security Administration officer spotted the gun in a bag as it passed through an X-ray machine, a press release noted.

This was the fourth weapons arrest made At BWI in less than a week, TSA shared. Officers clarified that they caught one gun on March 11 and snatched another two on March 12.

TSA added that it turned the Fredericksburg man over to the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, who arrested him on gun charges. TSA does not release the identities of arrestees. That is the responsibility of the arresting agency.

Patch requested the name, age and charges of the accused man. We will update this story when police respond to our inquiry.

A TSA spokesperson explained that the .357-caliber gun was loaded with 13 bullets. The man said he forgot that he had the gun on him, authorities informed. TSA does not think he had any intention of using the weapon.

"Claiming that you forgot that you had a gun with you is inexcusable," said Andrea Mishoe, TSA’s federal security director for Maryland. "If you own a firearm, you need to know where it is at all times—especially when it’s loaded."

TSA indicated this was the fifth gun caught at BWI this year. The agency reported that it stopped 13 firearms in 2020.

Those numbers are down from 2019 when TSA advised that it spotted 27 guns at the airport. BWI has seen fewer travelers since March of 2020 because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, however.

TSA mentioned that it snagged more than 3,257 guns at airports around the country last year, averaging nearly nine per day. A TSA report wrote that 83 percent of those guns were loaded.

"Please do not come to my airport checkpoints with loaded guns," Mishoe said. "Guns are not allowed to be carried onto airplanes. Period."

Concealed carry permits do not allow passengers to travel through airport security with guns. Travelers can fly with a firearm, but only if they follow the correct steps.

To fly with a gun, it must be unloaded, packed in a checked bag and declared at the luggage drop. The owner must pack the gun in a hard-sided, locked suitcase.

Travelers are usually fined $4,100 the first time they bring a gun to a TSA checkpoint. The penalties can reach $13,669, depending on the circumstances.

TSA explains how to properly travel with a weapon at this link. Passengers can also call their airline for more information.

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RELATED:

• 4 Passengers Stopped With Guns At BWI Airport In 2021: TSA

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