Transportation Security Administration agents stopped a North Carolina woman with a loaded handgun at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport on Wednesday.
A woman from Camden, N.C., whose name has not been released, was stopped by TSA officers after she tried to pass through a security checkpoint with the blue-colored pistol in her carry-on bag.
The .380 ACP caliber pistol was loaded with five bullets when it went through the checkpoint’s x-ray security screening, according to an airport press release.
The woman “forgot” she had her handgun in her bag, the release said.
TSA agents contacted airport police, who confiscated the gun and cited the woman on a weapons charge, according to the release.
Firearms, firearm parts and ammunition cannot be transported in carry-on baggage, but can be transported in checked bags if the firearm is unloaded, secured and declared to the airline, according to TSA guidelines.
Travelers who bring such items to a security checkpoint can be subject to criminal charges from law enforcement and civil penalties up to $12,000.
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport spokeswoman Jessica Wharton did not return a request for comment by time of publication.
