A Charlotte man was cited after bringing a loaded handgun to Charlotte Douglas International Airport Wednesday.
According to Transportation Security Administration officials, the gun was spotted by a TSA agent as the man’s carry-on bag went through the conveyor belt. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officials were contacted. They questioned the man, who they identified as 46-year-old Larry Gene Hayes, and cited him for carrying a weapon on airport property.
Last week, TSA officers prevented two passengers from bringing firearms aboard flights at CLT. One of the guns was loaded.
TSA officers have detected a total of 29 firearms in passengers’ bags this year. There were 68 firearms confiscated by TSA at the airport last year. Firearms are allowed in carry-on luggage on flights, but only if they are declared at ticket counters, unloaded and packed in a locked, hard-sided container. Violators can be fined up to $13,000.
