A Warrenton, Virginia, woman tried to take a handgun on a plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Saturday, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
TSA officials spotted the unloaded .22 caliber handgun in her carry-on bag when it went through the X-ray machine at a security checkpoint. The woman said she did not want to leave the firearm at her residence because she was moving, according to the TSA.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority cited her on a weapons charge. Airport operations were not affected, officials said.
It was the 11th gun detected at Reagan National Airport this year, the TSA said. Fourteen guns were detected at the airport in 2014.
Firearms, ammunition and other weapons are not allowed in carry-on bags. Firearms may be allowed in checked bags if they are in a locked, hard-side case and unloaded, and declared to the airline.
