Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., was charged with a weapons violation last week after a gun was found in her carry-on luggage at a Washington-area airport.
TSA staff at Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia detected an unloaded .380 caliber firearm during screening Friday. A spokesman for Spartz confirmed the incident in a statement late Monday.
“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. Rep. Spartz was issued a citation and proceeded on her international flight to the OSCE PA meeting in Europe," the statement reads.
Spartz, who was born in Ukraine, is a member of the U.S. delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly, which is holding its annual meeting in Bucharest, Romania.
She represents Indiana's 5th Congressional District, which includes Hamilton County and northeastern central Indiana. After initially saying she wasn't going to run for reelection in 2024, Spartz reentered the race shortly before the filing deadline and beat eight challengers in the Republican primary .
She will face Democrat Deborah Pickett in November.
The Indiana Democratic Party released a statement Monday following the incident: “It’s clear from her time in Congress that Spartz doesn’t like following rules. The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into her treatment of staff just last month. ... Hoosiers simply deserve better than the constant embarrassment coming from Rep. Spartz’s lack of leadership."
The weapon charge is a class one misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail and $2,500 in fines.
Contact IndyStar politics Pulliam fellow Nadia Scharf at nscharf@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @nadiaascharf.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Republican lawmaker Victoria Spartz charged after gun was found in her luggage at airport
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