WASHINGTON — Transportation Security Administration officers at a Richmond International Airport checkpoint found a .38-caliber handgun with five bullets in a traveler’s carry-on bag Monday morning.
Airport police arrested the traveler, a man from Newport News, Virginia, on state weapons charges and confiscated the gun, according to a statement from TSA. It’s the third gun TSA officials have found at a checkpoint in the Richmond airport this month.
The man claimed to have hid the gun in his backpack over the weekend because he had guests with children and he didn’t want them to access it.
TSA advises that travelers should always thoroughly check their bags for any illegal or prohibited items before going through checkpoints. Bringing firearms to the checkpoint can bring criminal charges and hefty civil penalties.
