Edward Scott Richards, 55, of Holly Springs was arrested for trying to bring a loaded gun onto a plane on Thursday

Two men have been charged after trying to bring loaded guns onto planes at a North Carolina airport on the same day.

The TSA said in a statement that one of the two men tried to bring a weapon through a security checkpoint in carry-on baggage at Charlotte Douglas International Airport about 6am Thursday, and a second man tried about 6.30am.

They don't believe the two attempts are related.

The first suspect is identified as Edward Scott Richards, 55, of Holly Springs, according to WCNC. The second man is identified as Fetevich Pavel, 38.

Each of the passengers has been charged with carrying a firearm on airport property, according to the TSA.

The TSA posted a picture of one of the seized guns that it says a man tried to bring loaded onto a plane in Charlotte

TSA officers detected the guns as the men went through a checkpoint's X-ray machines along the conveyor belt, said the agency in a statement.

Guns can be brought on planes but only if they are in checked baggage, unloaded, packed separately from ammunition, and locked in a hard case.

TSA officers have detected nine firearms at the Charlotte airport checkpoints this year; they found 53 last year.