by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:45 AM ET, Thu March 9, 2017
In a truly sobering revelation, a woman claims she walked right through security at a Charlotte airport with a loaded handgun in her purse before realizing her mistake.
According to Fox 21 in Colorado Springs, the unidentified woman had passed through a security checkpoint at Charlotte Douglas International Airport when she discovered that she never removed her loaded revolver from her purse.
While the woman initially wanted to tell security officers about the gun, she knew she would face serious repercussions. Instead, she called her mother, who works in the airline industry. Her mom said to take the weapon to the bathroom, unload it and then board the plane with the hope of no one discovering the gun.
The woman followed her mother's advice and boarded her flight with the gun still in her purse, flying all the way to her destination in Texas without incident.
"It was really scary how easy it was to get a gun past TSA," the woman told Fox News. "It was disturbing to know that a loaded revolver, which is a pretty, I mean, it's a small revolver, but it's heavy and it's metal, that that got through the scanner."
"People make mistakes. Obviously, I'm not the only one that in the rush of getting to the airport forgot to take their gun out," the woman continued. "Take your time, in the rush of getting to the airport to make sure that is left at home and locked up."
[READMORE] READ MORE TSA Sets New One-Day Record for Firearms Confiscated at US Airports [/READMORE]
If a gun is discovered by Transportation Security Administration officers, they are required to call the police. Not only are the authorities able to determine if criminal charges should be levied, but TSA agents are also able to hand out a civil penalty of up to $11,000.
TSA officials are reportedly testing new scanners for carry-on bags that would produce a 3D image able to detect explosives, liquids and gels. The technology is still in the testing phases.
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