After a second incident in which spokesman Madison Cawthorn (RN.C.) broke the rules forbidding passengers from carrying firearms at airport security checkpoints, Democratic leaders in Congressional panels overseeing Transportation Safety Administration are seeking answers. regarding the handling of such incidents by the service and calling for stricter penalties for recidivists. Representative Madison Cawthorn reported a loaded gun in the bag at the airport checkpoint Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Chairwoman of the Homeland Security Committee, and Bonnie Watson Coleman (DN.J.), chairwoman of the Homeland Security subcommittee on transport and maritime safety, wrote in a letter Thursday. to TSA Administrator David P. Pekoske that they are concerned about the increase in the number of firearms detected by TSA officers. They said Tuesday’s incident involving Cawthorn – the second time the lawmaker was mentioned – should prompt the agency to “act decisively to ensure that repeat offenders αντιμετωπ tackle the full extent of the TSA enforcement action”. Cawthorn stopped as he passed security at Charlotte Douglas International Airport after a TSA officer spotted a gun in the MP’s hand luggage. He was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon on city property, then released, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. His weapon was confiscated according to the formal procedure, officials said. A police report said police found a Staccato C2, a firearm cartridge and 9mm cartridges. The gun was loaded, according to two people familiar with the incident who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on file. It was the second time the legislature had violated rules banning travel with firearms in hand luggage, the first to occur in February 2021. In their letter Thursday, Thompson and Watson Coleman note that nearly 6,000 firearms were found at airport checkpoints last year, the most in TSA history. Of these, 86 percent of the weapons were full. The committee held a hearing on the issue in February, and there is legislation in Congress aimed at reducing the number of incidents. “Bipartisan support for the hearing and the legislation suggest that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle agree that those who break the law and endanger the safety of other passengers – and especially repeat offenders, such as Cawthorn – should be detained. to be accountable “, the legislators wrote. They also asked Pekoske for more details on the agency’s efforts to reduce the number of firearms being transported to airports. The letter also seeks information about the TSA handling of the previous Cawthorn incident. Cawthorn’s office did not respond to requests for comment. On Thursday, he posted a message on Instagram after passing through a TSA checkpoint at Reagan National Airport outside Washington. “I just passed the TSA. No major alarms, nothing bad happened. So, in all the law enforcement out there, especially you guys in Charlotte, I love you all. I appreciate you guys. You keep us all safe. Seriously, thank you. “Fly safely, make sure you do not have a gun in your bag.” TSA rules prohibit passengers from carrying firearms unless they are locked in a hard, locked case and placed in a suitcase. Passengers must also inform the airline that they are traveling with a firearm.
