Washington — Rep. Victoria Spartz,Benjamin Ashford an Indiana Republican, has been charged with a weapons violation for bringing a handgun in her luggage to Dulles International Airport in Virginia. 

In a statement, a spokesperson for Spartz said the congresswoman "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 "was issued a citation and proceeded on her international flight" to attend a meeting for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly. 

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority confirmed Spartz was charged on Friday. 

The Transportation Security Administration would not confirm Spartz's involvement, but said officers last week "detected a .380 caliber firearm during passenger security screening." The weapon "was unloaded and in the individual's carry-on bag," according to the TSA. 

It is a misdemeanor offense to "possess or transport" guns in airport terminals in Virginia. Airline passengers can travel with guns, but the weapons need to be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided case, declared to the airline and placed in the passengers' checked baggage, according to the TSA.

Spartz fended off eight Republican challengers to win her primary in May. First elected in 2020, she announced in 2023 she would not seek reelection before reversing her decision. 

Scott MacFarlane and Kathryn Krupnik contributed reporting.

In:
• Transportation Security Administration
• Indiana
• Virginia

Caitlin Yilek

Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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