By Associated Press and IBJ Staff
Indiana Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz has been charged with bringing a firearm through airport security, authorities said Monday.
Spartz, 45, was charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor under Virginia law, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said Monday.
A TSA spokesperson said officers detected an unloaded .380-caliber firearm in Spartz’s carry-on during passenger security screening on Friday at Washington Dulles International Airport.
Her office said in a statement that Spartz mistakenly carried an unloaded handgun in the pocket of her suitcase while going through security on her way to a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly in Europe.
“Rep. Spartz was issued a citation and proceeded on her international flight,” the statement said.
TSA allows passengers to travel with a firearm but it must be declared with the airline and packed in a hard-sided case in the passenger’s checked baggage. Firearms are prohibited at security checkpoints.
The charge carries up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine if convicted.
Spartz first won election to U.S. House in 2020 to represent the 5th District and was reelected in 2022. She won the May primary to seek reelection again in November.
The Indiana Democratic Party released a statement Monday afternoon saying that Spartz “should be well aware of the fact that you can’t carry a gun— loaded or unloaded—past airport security.”
“Despite this, she carried a weapon in her carry-on bag in violation of federal law,” said Indiana Democratic Party Executive Director Dayna Colbert. “It’s clear from her time in Congress that Spartz doesn’t like following rules.”
According to The Washington Post, TSA identified an average of 18 guns a day at airport security checkpoints last year, and about 93 percent of the guns were loaded. Authorities say they have seen upticks in the number of guns recovered at Washington-area airports over the past several years.
