Loaded handgun found at Reagan National Airport security checkpoint

ARLINGTON, Va. - Transportation Security Administration officers found a loaded handgun in a man's carry-on items at a security checkpoint at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport early Friday morning.

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TSA officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport stopped a Virginia man with this loaded handgun at the security checkpoint on March 26. (TSA photo)

Officials say an officer spotted the .40 caliber handgun loaded with 15 bullets - including one in the chamber - on the checkpoint X-ray machine's monitor as the carry-on items were being screened.

The man, a Fairfax County resident from the Centerville area, faces a possible federal civil penalty which could be up to several thousands of dollars.

"When an individual shows up at a checkpoint with a firearm, the checkpoint lane comes to a standstill until the police resolve the incident," read a statement from the TSA. "Guns at checkpoints can delay travelers from getting to their gates."

Officials say passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly stored and declared at the airline ticket counter. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition, TSA says.

Nearly 60 firearms have found by TSA officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport since 2017. Over 3,200 firearms were detected in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country last year.