INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Republican U.S. Representative Victoria Spartz was charged with smuggling a firearm through airport security checkpoints, 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 agents detected an unloaded .380-caliber firearm in Spartz’s carry-on bag during passenger security screening 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 as she went through security on her way to a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
“Representative Spartz was issued a citation and continued her international flight,” the statement said.
The TSA allows passengers to travel with a firearm, but it must be declared to the airline and placed in a hard case in the passenger’s checked bag. Firearms are prohibited at security checkpoints.
The charge carries a penalty of up to one year in prison and a $2,500 fine if convicted.
The two-term congresswoman from central Indiana won a controversial and competitive primaries in May, after declaring in 2023 that she would not run again.
Spartz — a Trump-supporting Republican and Second Amendment supporter — is the first member of Congress born in Ukraine.She recently voted against sending war aid to the country, however, a reversal from her position when Russia invaded Ukraine.
News Source : apnews.com
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