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TSA Agents Seize Loaded Handgun From Passenger At Norfolk International Airport Checkpoint

Passenger pictured is not the man in question. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Jesse Stiller Contributor
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Officials in Virginia reportedly detained and cited a man for attempting to conceal a loaded firearm and ammunition through airport security.

TSA agents at Virginia’s Norfolk International Airport seized a weapon from a traveler’s bag on Saturday after detecting it at a security checkpoint, according to a statement from the agency.

The officer spotted the gun while the man was in the checkpoint X-ray machine, according to the statement, and the Norfolk Airport Authority was subsequently alerted.

Officers seized a 9mm handgun loaded with 14 bullets from the man with one additional bullet found in a carry-on bag, the agency stated.

They confiscated the weapon and cited him for a weapons charge, which was forwarded to the Norfolk Commonwealth’s attorney for “possible criminal prosecution,” according to the statement. (RELATED: Over 1.1 Million People Traveled Sunday After Thanksgiving, TSA Says)

“TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns with them at a checkpoint,” the statement read in part. This also marks the 12th confiscated weapon at Norfolk International, according to the statement — the lowest number of incidents since 2017.

While the TSA statement states that guns at checkpoints must be investigated by police, passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in checked baggage.

“Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition.” The statement reads.

Airport security has seen a spike in loaded guns on passengers this year, reportedly at triple the rate of the period before the pandemic.