

A .38-caliber handgun was confiscated this week at BWI. (TSA)

A St. Mary’s County woman was arrested Wednesday at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport when she tried to board a flight carrying a loaded .38 caliber pistol. The Transportation Security Administration said officers at the security checkpoint found the handgun and 16 loose bullets in the woman’s carry-on bag.

Maryland Transportation Authority police said they arrested Rena Ann Trevett, 51, of Drayden at 9:10 a.m. on a state weapons charge.

The gun was the 12th firearm confiscated at a BWI checkpoint this year. Thirteen guns have been detected and confiscated at Reagan National and eight at Dulles International.

Nationwide, TSA officers have intercepted more than 1,900 guns at security checkpoints this year, already a higher number than last year when TSA officers detected 1,813 guns. Passengers who bring firearms to the checkpoint can face criminal charges and civil penalties of up to $11,000.

TSA officials say travelers should be reminded that firearms and ammunition are not allowed in carry-on bags. They can be carried in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a locked container. Passengers are required to declare that the gun is in the bag when they check it at the ticket counter.