Maryland man arrested with loaded gun at BWI airport

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) caught a Baltimore County man with a 9mm handgun loaded with 10 bullets at the checkpoint Sunday.

A Baltimore County, Maryland, man was arrested Sunday with a loaded 9mm handgun at a BWI Marshall Airport security checkpoint.

According to officials, a Transportation Security Administration officer spotted the pistol in the carry-on bag of the Cockeysville man, who told authorities he forgot he had the loaded gun with him.

Maryland Transportation Authority Police confiscated the gun and cited him on weapons charges. He now faces stiff fines.

So far, six guns have been caught at BWI Airport this year.

Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, according to a TSA release. Firearms cannot be carried onto a plane, regardless of whether or not someone has a concealed carry license.

However, passengers “are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality,” the TSA said.

Penalties are listed online.

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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