Alexandria man stopped at Reagan National Airport checkpoint due to gun in his carry-on luggage

For the ninth time in 2023, a forgetful flier at Reagan National Airport was stopped by security for attempting to bring a firearm in his carry-on luggage.

Early on Thursday morning, an Alexandria, Virginia man was stopped at a checkpoint when a Transportation Security Administration x-ray unit found a firearm in his carry-on bag. Officers found a 9mm handgun, loaded with 15 bullets.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police arrested the unnamed man, and released him on a summons. The man claimed to have forgotten the gun was in his carry-on.

Airport gun violations remain an ongoing concern for the TSA.

The maximum civil penalty for a firearm offense was raised to $14,950 starting in 2023 after American air travelers broke records for gun seizures in 2022; 6,542 guns were caught at 262 of the nation’s 430 checkpoints.

Numerous airports also saw their gun seizure records broken, although Reagan National Airport was not among them.

After 30 guns were found by Reagan National Airport security in 2021, more than doubling the 14 guns taken in 2019, 29 guns were seized in 2022.

The airport saw a surge of gun seizures in January, when six were found and taken by security, including a one-week stretch with three firearm incidents.