Botetourt Co. man brings a loaded gun to the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport

This .40 caliber handgun was caught by TSA officers on Thursday at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport. It was loaded with 10 bullets, including one in the chamber. (TSA photo) (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - TSA officers stopped a Botetourt County man from bringing a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun onto an airplane Thursday.

The man was stopped by officers when a security checkpoint x-ray machine detected the weapon in a carry-on bag.

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The officers say the handgun was loaded with ten bullets, including one in the chamber.

According to the TSA, the man says he forgot he had the gun with him.

The weapon was confiscated and the man was cited on a state weapons charge.

The Transportation Security Administration says weapons -  including firearms, firearm parts, and ammunition - are not allowed in carry-on bags.

Passengers are allowed to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared.

The weapons must be unloaded, packed in a hard-side case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition.