GOP Rep. Spartz charged for bringing gun to airport
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Rep. Victoria Spartz. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) was charged with a weapons violation for bringing a gun to Dulles International Airport on Friday, local and federal authorities confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: Spartz has been a chaotic figure during her two terms in Congress, voting "present" several times in last year's House speaker election and running for reelection this year despite initially announcing her retirement.
- The Ukraine-born Republican narrowly won her crowded GOP primary in May and is heavily favored in the general election in November.
What they're saying: "Victoria Spartz, 45, of Noblesville, IN, was charged on Friday, June 28 with a weapons violation at Dulles Airport," a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority told Axios.
- A Transporation Security Agency spokesperson told Axios: "TSA officers at IAD detected a .380 caliber firearm during passenger security screening."
- The gun was unloaded and placed in a carry-on bag, the TSA spokesperson said.
The other side: "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," Spartz's office said in a statement.
- "Rep. Spartz was issued a citation and proceeded on her international flight to the [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly] meeting in Europe."
State of play: Spartz faces a misdemeanor charge under Virginia criminal statute that prohibits carrying a weapon in an airport terminal, according to the WMAA.
- TSA reported over 6,700 firearms were found in carry-on bags at checkpoints around the U.S. in 2023, which shattered the previous record set in 2022.
- TSA fines passengers up to $15,000 and revokes TSA PreCheck eligibility for up to five years who bring firearms to a security checkpoint.
- The news was first reported by WISH-TV, a local Indiana outlet.
