Loaded Gun Caught At BWI, Suspect Arrested: Officials

LINTHICUM, MD — Security stopped a Pennsylvania man with a loaded handgun at Baltimore/Washington International Airport on April 29, 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.

TSA added that it turned the accused Mechanicsburg man over to the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, who arrested him on gun charges. TSA does not release the names of suspects. 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 9 mm gun was loaded with 10 bullets. The official alleged that the suspect also had two additional loaded 10-round magazines. The accused 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 seventh 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.

Like what you're reading? Invite a friend to subscribe to free Odenton-Severn newsletters and real-time email alerts.

RELATED:

• TSA Catches Loaded Gun At BWI, Police Arrest Suspect: Officials

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.