TSA officers prevent woman from bringing firearm onto flight at Washington Dulles International Airp

TSA officers stopped a woman with this firearm at a Washington Dulles International Airport security checkpoint on June 28. (TSA photo)

DULLES, Va. - Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) prevented an Indiana woman from bringing her handgun onto a flight on Friday, June 28. The .380 caliber firearm was not loaded.

The weapon was caught as the woman entered the security checkpoint and the X-ray unit alerted on her carry-on bag. TSA officials notified the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police who confiscated the firearm and cited the woman on a weapons charge.

In addition to the citation by airport police, this individual now faces a stiff financial civil penalty. Civil penalties for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.

This is the proper way to take a firearm on a flight-unloaded in a locked hard-sided case for transport in the belly of the plane where nobody has access to it during the flight. (TSA photo)

Firearms are not permitted through a security checkpoint because passengers are not permitted to have access to a firearm during a flight. This even applies to travelers with concealed carry permits or are enrolled in the TSA PreCheck® program, who will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges if they bring a gun to a checkpoint.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case. Then the locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.

Last year, 6,735 firearms were caught at airport security checkpoints nationwide, of which 93 percent were loaded.

Firearms caught by TSA at Washington Dulles International National Airport checkpoints, 2016 to 2024

Year	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024 (as of 7/1/24)
Guns caught at Washington Dulles International Airport checkpoints	24	19	17	19	7	19	25	24	10

Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and passengers should do their homework to make sure that they are not violating any local firearm laws. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.

Unsure if an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither? Download the free myTSA app, which has a handy "What can I bring?" feature that allows you to type in the item to find out if it can fly. Or ask on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA. Travelers may send a question by texting "Travel" to AskTSA (275-872).