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Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana was charged with a firearm violation at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Friday (June 28).
The Transportation Security Agency found an unloaded handgun in her carry-on bag while she was going through security.
"TSA officers at IAD detected a .380 caliber firearm during passenger security screening. The firearm was unloaded and in the individual's carry-on bag," a TSA spokesperson told CNN.
Spartz was issued a citation to appear in court for violating Virginia law, which bans carrying any gun, explosive, or stun weapon into an air carrier airport terminal. The violation is considered a Class 1 misdemeanor.
After the incident, Spartz was able to board her flight to Romania, where she attended a meeting with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly.
"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," a spokesperson for Spartz said in a statement.