Congresswoman charged with violating weapons rules at Dulles Airport

Republican Representative Victoria Spartz from Indiana was charged with a firearms offense at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Friday (June 28).

The Transportation Security Agency found an unloaded handgun in her carry-on bag as she went through security.

“TSA officers at IAD detected a .380 caliber firearm during passenger security screening. The firearm was unloaded and was located in the individual's carry-on bag,” a TSA spokesperson said. CNN.

Spartz was issued a summons to appear in court for violating Virginia law, which prohibits the transport of firearms, explosives or stun weapons into the terminals of an air transport airport. The offense is considered a Class 1 misdemeanor.

After the incident, Spartz was able to board her flight to Romania, where she attended a meeting with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

“Last Friday, Representative Spartz accidentally carried an empty handgun in her suitcase without a magazine or bullets, which she did not realize was in the pocket of her suitcase as she went through security at Dulles Airport,” a spokesperson for Spartz said in a statement.