TSA: Waynesboro man caught with gun at airport

CHARLOTTESVILLE — A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport caught a Waynesboro man attempting to carry a handgun onto a flight Tuesday with his carry-on items, according to a press release.

It was the first gun detected by TSA officers at the airport this year.

The .38-caliber gun was not loaded, although it was accompanied by four bullets and a box cutter, all detected by the TSA officer and spotted among the man’s carry-on items, the release said. When TSA identified the firearm, police were notified and confiscated the weapon.

The man now faces a stiff federal financial civil penalty, the TSA said.

Nationwide, TSA officers detected 5,972 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints last year. Of the guns caught by TSA in 2022, about 86 percent were loaded.

So long: Augusta County removes two trees in front of courthouse

Suspect sentenced to nearly a decade in prison for Augusta County armed robbery

Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.