ROANOKE, Va. – A Transportation Security Administration officer at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport stopped a Florida man who brought a loaded gun through a security checkpoint Sunday.
The TSA officer who was working the checkpoint's X-ray monitor spotted a 9 mm handgun inside the man's carry-on bag, according to TSA.
TSA says officials discovered the gun was loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber.
Officials notified airport police, who confiscated the handgun and cited the man on a weapons charge, according to TSA.
This is the third gun that officers have detected at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport so far this year, according to TSA.
In 2018, six guns were caught at the airport's checkpoint, according to TSA.
Passengers are permitted to travel with guns in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared, according to TSA. The guns must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked and packed separately from ammunition. Laws vary by state and locality.