Republican Rep Victoria Spartz has been charged with bringing a firearm through airport security at Washington Dulles International Airport, authorities said on Monday.
The Indiana congresswoman, 45, was charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor under Virginia law and received a summons to appear in court in Virginia, 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 had 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.
“Last Friday, Rep. Spartz 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,” the statement said.
“Rep Spartz was issued a citation and proceeded on her international flight.”
The charge carries up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine if convicted.
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 two-term congresswoman from central Indiana won a contentious and competitive primary in May after she had said in 2023 that she wasn't going to run again.
Spartz — a Trump-aligned, Second Amendment touting Republican — is the first Ukrainian-born member of Congress. However, she recently voted against sending war aid to the country, a reversal from her position when Russia invaded Ukraine .
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