WASHINGTON — The Transportation Security Administration stopped two Virginia men in a two-day span carrying loaded guns at Dulles International Airport — a trend a TSA spokeswoman says she finds troubling.
TSA officers at Dulles caught a Virginia man with a loaded handgun at Dulles Airport checkpoint Monday morning. It came a day after a different man was stopped with a loaded gun at another checkpoint in the airport.
A preliminary investigation found the incidents were not related, said TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.
On Monday, officers caught an Augusta County, Virginia, man with a loaded .40 caliber handgun in his carry-on bag. The gun was loaded with 11 bullets including the one in the chamber. Also, there were two magazines each loaded with 10 rounds, Farbstein said.
On Sunday, a Fairfax County man had a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun in his carry-on bag. The gun had nine bullets, including one in the chamber, Farbstein said.
In both cases, the man placed their carry-on items on the conveyor belt at the security checkpoint.
Both of the men were cited by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police on weapons charges.
Also, this is the third loaded gun caught at Dulles Airport in August. A Fredericksburg man was stopped with a loaded .380 caliber handgun on Aug. 2.
TSA officers have found 13 guns at Dulles Airport checkpoints this year through June — the month the information was last analyzed, Farbstein said. With July numbers still being examined, the additional three in August bump the total to at least 16.
In 2015, 20 guns were caught at Dulles Airport.
By comparison, 91 guns have been caught at Hartsfield—Jackson Atlanta International Airport this year through June; 82 guns at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport through June; and 59 guns at George Bush Intercontinental Airport through June. Twelve guns have been caught at both Reagan National Airport and BWI Marshall Airport during the same six-month period.
“We are on the doorstep of the 15-year anniversary of 9/11 and we are seeing more guns [at the airport] … it’s a sad trend,” Farbstein said.
Weapons, including firearms, are not permitted in carry-on bags. Travelers who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to criminal charges and fines of up to $11,000.
Farbstein reminds passengers that they can travel with firearms in checked bags if they are properly packaged and declared.
“Stop bringing your guns to the checkpoint — there’s a right way to bring a gun and a wrong way to bring a gun. You can actually fly with a gun — just do it the right way,” she said.
