SANDSTON, Va (WRIC) — For the third time so far this month, a passenger at Richmond International Airport has been stopped from bringing a handgun with them on their flight.
Transportation Security Officers noticed the loaded handgun in the carry-on bag of a Henrico County woman as it was going through the x-ray machine at the airport’s security checkpoint.
Upon seeing the weapon, TSA Officers contacted airport police, who confiscated it from the woman and cited her on a weapons violation.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, flights out of RIC have decreased but instances of people bringing guns in carry-ons has increased dramatically. The three guns confiscated at RIC so far in January puts 2022 on pace to exceed the 2020 record by mid-summer.