Rep. Victoria Spartz charged with weapons violation at Dulles

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) was charged with a weapons violation at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Friday.

Spartz was carrying an unloaded handgun in her carry-on luggage at the time of the citation. TSA officials said they stopped her from bringing the .380 caliber firearm onto an international flight.

In a statement shared with ABC News, Spartz said she “accidentally carried an empty handgun in her suitcase with no magazine or bullets, which she did not realize was in the pocket of her suitcase, while going through security at Dulles Airport.”

TSA agents saw the gun on the X-ray unit, and they then notified the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police. The firearm was confiscated, and Spartz was cited on a weapons charge.

Spartz also said she was “issued a citation and proceeded on her international flight to the OSCE PA meeting in Europe.”

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If convicted, the charge carries up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Spartz also faces a civil penalty, which has a maximum fine of $15,000.

TSA does allow passengers to travel with firearms, but it must be declared with the airline and cannot accompany a passenger in his or her carry-on. The declared firearm must be in a hard-sided case in the passenger’s checked baggage.