Alexandria man cited by police after trying to bring gun onto plane at National Airport this weekend

An Alexandria man received a citation after he was caught at National Airport bringing a gun through security.

According to a press release from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a TSA officer caught the gun among carry-on items at a security checkpoint.

“A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) prevented an Alexandria, Va., man from bringing a handgun onto his flight on Saturday, Jan. 16. It was the third gun detected by TSA Officers since the start of the new year.”

The TSA specified that the gun was not loaded and was stored among the man’s carry-on items. The gun was confiscated and the man was cited with a weapons charge.

“It has not been a good start to the new year for each individual who has been caught carrying a handgun to our checkpoints,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport, in the press release. “Each individual faces a stiff financial civil penalty that could stretch into thousands of dollars. My advice to firearm owners who want to transport their guns is to familiarize yourself with the proper way to pack a gun for a flight. That information is readily available on the TSA website. Doing so is simply part of being a responsible gun owner.”

The TSA noted that passengers are permitted to bring firearms onto planes, but only as checked baggage.

“Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter,” the release said. “Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case, and packed separately from ammunition. 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.”