Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard was not arrested despite bringing a loaded handgun to George Bush Intercontinental Airport last month.

According to a TMZ report, a TSA agent discovered Howard's Glock 26 9mm in a carry-on bag when he was boarding a flight in Houston on Thursday. He told law enforcement officials that the gun was left in the bag accidentally. He was allowed to give the gun to a friend to take it away from the airport despite it being loaded.

Security then allowed him to re-enter the boarding line and take the flight without incident. It would seem that Howard was an early beneficiary of a law that went into place in Texas this month.

As noted by Tom Benning of the Dallas Morning News, new legislation in Texas allows registered gun holders a so-called gimme when they forget a gun is in their carry-on luggage. Before the legislation went into place, such a mistake could result in a third-degree felony charge. Though the law did not officially begin until Sept. 1, it would seem officials at George Bush Airport gave Howard a reprieve.

“It provides discretion to law enforcement to make a judgment right then and there,” Sen. Juan Hinojosa told Benning. “Was it just an unintentional mistake?”

It sounds like it was simply an accident on Howard's part. Still, it's nonetheless a lucky break he found friendly law enforcement and that his infraction came in Texas rather than a state with more stringent gun laws.

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