NORFOLK, Va. - Transportation Security Administration officers at Norfolk International Airport caught a Virginia Beach woman with a loaded handgun at one of the airport's security checkpoints Monday.
According to Lisa Farbstein, spokesperson for the TSA, the woman's bright pink, .380 caliber handgun was loaded with eight bullets when TSA officers detected it in her bag. The Norfolk Airport Authority Police were alerted, confiscated the weapon and arrested the woman on weapons charges.
The woman now faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty. In addition, the case was forwarded to the Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney for possible criminal prosecution.
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at the airline ticket counter. To learn more about how to properly travel with a firearm, click here.
Guns are "absolutely not permitted" to be carried onto planes.
So far, 15 firearms have been caught at the Norfolk International Airport in 2021. Nationwide, 3,257 firearms were detected at checkpoints last year.
