Security officials confiscate sixth gun in eight days at Reagan National Airport

The Transportation Security Administration confiscated the sixth gun within eight days on Friday at a security checkpoint in Reagan National Airport.

This was also the fourth gun in three days that the TSA had confiscated from the security checkpoint, making it the 18th gun this year, WTOP reported.

The latest gun confiscation was from an Alexandria, Virginia man who brought his .38-caliber handgun loaded with seven bullets to the checkpoint.

"We have caught more guns in just the first seven months of this year than any other full calendar year," said Scott T. Johnson, the TSA federal security director for Reagan National Airport, according to WTOP. "The most common excuse we hear is that someone forgot that they had their gun with them. That's just not acceptable.

"And let me be clear that even if you have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, you still cannot bring it on to your flight. Bringing a loaded gun to a checkpoint is careless and an accident waiting to happen. If you own a firearm, you need to know where it is at all times."

Airline passengers can travel with their firearms if they are packed, unloaded, in a hard-sided, locked case, and declared with the airline to ensure that they are stored in the belly of the plane during the flight, the TSA said.

"Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances," the TSA added.