A Transportation Security Administration officer at Dulles International Airport stopped a Florida woman from bringing a loaded 9 mm handgun onto her flight Friday.
The weapon was found when the woman’s carry-on baggage went through an X-ray machine at a security checkpoint Friday.
The woman, who was cited on a weapons charge, told authorities she forgot she was carrying her loaded gun.
The gun was loaded with eight bullets, including one in the chamber.
“Our TSA officers continue to remain on top of preventing loaded firearms from entering the secure area of the airport,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA’s federal security director for Dulles, in a statement.
“Forgetting that you are carrying a loaded firearm is a public safety concern, as it could accidentally be discharged. Responsible gun owners need to know where their firearm is at all times.”
Passengers are only permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage and they must be unloaded and packed separately from ammunition.
Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty.
The number of firearms caught at Dulles has ratcheted up in recent years, reaching 30 last year.
So far this year, TSA has found 22 firearms in travelers’ luggage.