ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA: Trial for a class 1 misdemeanor offense of carrying a weapon in air carrier airport terminal under VA Code 18.2-287.01, in which our client was accused of bringing a loaded handgun into the DCA airport, resulted in no active jail time, a $250 fine and surrender of the weapon.
Read more about Weapons Law here: Virginia Firearm & Weapon Charges and Hunting Laws: Defense Lawyer’s Explanation of Brandishing, Reckless Handling of a Firearm, and Hunting Offenses
Text from the Virginia code section:
§ 18.2-287.01. Carrying weapon in air carrier airport terminal.
It shall be unlawful for any person to possess or transport into any air carrier airport terminal in the Commonwealth any (i) gun or other weapon designed or intended to propel a missile or projectile of any kind, (ii) frame, receiver, muffler, silencer, missile, projectile or ammunition designed for use with a dangerous weapon, and (iii) any other dangerous weapon, including explosives, stun weapons as defined in § 18.2-308.1, and those weapons specified in subsection A of § 18.2-308. Any such weapon shall be subject to seizure by a law-enforcement officer. A violation of this section is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any weapon possessed or transported in violation of this section shall be forfeited to the Commonwealth and disposed of as provided in subsection A of § 18.2-308.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to any police officer, sheriff, law-enforcement agent or official, or conservation police officer, or conservator of the peace employed by the air carrier airport, nor shall the provisions of this section apply to any passenger of an airline who, to the extent otherwise permitted by law, transports a lawful firearm, weapon, or ammunition into or out of an air carrier airport terminal for the sole purposes, respectively, of (i) presenting such firearm, weapon, or ammunition to U.S. Customs agents in advance of an international flight, in order to comply with federal law, (ii) checking such firearm, weapon, or ammunition with his luggage, or (iii) retrieving such firearm, weapon, or ammunition from the baggage claim area.
Any other statute, rule, regulation, or ordinance specifically addressing the possession or transportation of weapons in any airport in the Commonwealth shall be invalid, and this section shall control.
We are presently tracking an update to this law which will eliminate the restriction on bringing weapons into the airport terminal, and instead will only prohibit explosives. Review proposed revisions law here: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?131+ful+HB1052
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