BWI Marshall Airport set a record Tuesday, and a Baltimore County, Maryland, man now faces weapons charges.
Transportation Security Administration officers announced they found their 27th gun at an airport checkpoint in 2019, surpassing the 2017 record of 26. An X-ray machine detected the .25-caliber handgun, which was loaded with six bullets, in the man’s carry-on bag.
The unidentified resident of Sparks, Maryland, told authorities he had taken the gun to a shooting range and had forgotten he still had it in a bag.
The gun was confiscated, and the traveler was detained and arrested.
Nationwide, 4,239 firearms were found in carry-on bags at security checkpoints in 2018, an average of nearly 12 a day.
Passengers caught with guns face possible criminal charges and civil penalties of up to $13,333.
TSA officials remind the public that even travelers with concealed permits cannot carry guns onto planes.
Passengers can, however, travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed in a hard case, locked and packed separately from ammo.
